Rurouni Inuyasha
by DeadEye JoChan
Summary: Inuyasha somehow survives to the bakumatsu era and meets, guess who? Kenshin! The scary one, that is. *SPOILERS*
1. A Chance Encounter

I do not own Inuyasha or Rurouni Kenshin. If I did, then all my strange little crossover ideas would be displayed on the big screen and I would never have to ever get a real job.  
  
P.S. I have no money, so there's no point in suing me.  
  
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Brief Summary of Inuyasha for those of you who are not familiar with it:  
  
Starts out with a girl named Kagome who is somehow transported to feudal Japan through a well. She meets up with a guy Inuyasha (loosely meaning "dog demon"). He obviously, is the hero of the series, and he is a hanyou (1/2 demon, 1/2 human). Along the way they meet up with a cute little fox demon named Shippou whose parents were killed by demons. They also meet up with a lecherous monk named Miroku who has a wind-tunnel in his hand that can suck everything into it (including himself one day). The wind-tunnel is a family curse that is passed down from father to son and was inflicted on Miroku's grandfather 50 years ago by the ultimate villain of the series, Naraku. Also, they meet Sango, whose family was killed by Naraku, and whose younger brother, Kohaku is brainwashed by him. Going on on the side is the sexual tension growing between Inuyasha and Kagome, and the conflict with Inuyasha's past love come back from the grave, Kikyou. Wow, that's a mouthful. For more info go to Sengoku o-togi Zoushi. Just search for it on a search engine.  
  
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Rurouni Inuyasha  
  
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"Kagome!"  
  
On the site of a bloody battleground, two figures huddled, surrounded by death and chaos.  
  
"I'm sorry, Inuyasha..."  
  
"Kagome..."  
  
On the ground, strewn about, lay the bodies of friend and foe, similar in death.  
  
"No...Kagome...don't leave me...please!"  
  
A place of sorrow, to be forever scarred by the events that had taken place there...  
  
"Kagome, I need you..."  
  
It was a place that even time would remember.  
  
"I love you..."  
  
A gut-wrenching cry of grief was lost in the howling of the wind.  
  
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Approximately 3 1/2 centuries later...  
  
A strange looking man with long white hair and a battered sword at his side walked down one of the many alleys of Kyoto, his head bowed, his face obscured by the straw hat he wore. As he passed, whispers and mutters flitted past his ears.  
  
"Battousai!"  
  
"No, you fool! The battousai has red hair, not white. Besides, with that hunk of rubbish at his side he couldn't slay a grain of rice, let alone a skilled warrior."  
  
Inuyasha smirked to himself as he walked by. It was true; the Tetsusaiga was little more than a piece of crap now that all of the demons had disappeared. He was the only one left; that he knew of anyway. Must be his human blood. Speaking of which.... Inuyasha looked up at the pale sliver of the moon; only a few more days until he was a full human again. Even now he hated the transformation that he had to undergo every 28 days. The loss of sight and smell, reduced to a weakling in mere seconds; it was amazing that these humans didn't just curl up and die. Of course, they never got to experience what it felt like to be him. Or what he usually felt like anyway. Stupid half human blood and all its strange and nonsensical quirks. The whole thing could just infuriate him. Kagome had used to accuse him of PMSing, whatever that meant....  
  
Kagome....  
  
What caused him to think of her just then? He hadn't thought of her in so long...had fought to push away any memory of her deep into the recesses of his brain.... A slight breeze tickled his nose. Kagome....  
  
Inuyasha's ears perked up underneath his hat. That scent.... No, it couldn't be...she wouldn't even be born yet. Kikyou then? That's possible, though unlikely. An image of Kikyou crumbling into dirt flashed through his mind. Before he even knew what he was doing, Inuyasha had leapt onto the nearest roof, and was following the trail of the scent. He didn't have far to go; the scent lead to another nearby alley. It was mingled with another smell. Blood.  
  
Inuyasha stopped short as he came across the dead body. It was one of the notorious Shinsengumi, identifiable by the blue and white gi the group wore. The Shinsengumi were reputed to have crossed swords with the Hitokiri Battousai many times. Inuyasha wasn't all too sure he believed in the rumors of the legendary assassin who fought for the Ishinshishi; it smelled like propaganda to him. But seeing this dead body made Inuyasha reconsider his earlier assessment. He hadn't seen a body this thoroughly killed since the feudal era, when demons still walked the earth. Could the famous hitokiri be a demon? No, the body had no demon scent on it, and besides the wounds were not made by claws, but by the swift, clean blade of a katana. Inuyasha sniffed the body again, attempting to pick up the scent of the killer. What?...He shook his head. It was the Kikyou/Kagome scent he had picked up earlier. Okay, now he was thoroughly confused. Was his mind playing tricks on him? He followed the scent trail further down the alley, determined to get to the bottom of this. As he went on, the scent got stronger, he must be getting close. Suddenly, he felt cold steel lightly grazing his neck, maybe drawing blood.   
  
"Why are you following me?" a voice from behind him asked.  
  
Inuyasha tried to clear his thoughts. How could this guy have snuck up on him? Damn it! He must have snuck up on him while Inuyasha was distracted by the scent....  
  
"Are you another hired assassin? Or just another fool who wants to try his hand at defeating the Hitokiri Battousai?"  
  
Battousai?  
  
Somehow Inuyasha found his voice. "Do you really think me that much of an idiot? Would anyone challenge the legendary Battousai with this hunk of crap?" Inuyasha held out his sheathed Tetsusaiga. The katana's blade that had been pressed into his neck relented. Inuyasha turned around rubbing his neck and got his first glimpse of the legendary assassin of the shadows. His first reaction was one of surprise.  
  
The hitokiri was not what Inuyasha expected. He was not a large man; in fact you could say that he was a tiny man. Hell, he didn't even really look like a man, with his slender figure and short stature. And that face. What a girlie face; well it was girlie if you could discount the cross shaped scar that adorned one cheek and the murderous glint of his narrowed eyes as he glared down at the Tetsusaiga. What a mess of contradictions this man was. With an ease that betrayed many years of experience, the Battousai flipped his katana back into its' sheath. He looked up at Inuyasha for an instant, glaring at him with unreadable yellow eyes, then looked back down at the battered old sword. He pulled the nicked blade a couple of inches out of the sheath, and then resheathed it.  
  
"It gives off a strange ki," he said, handing the sword back to Inuyasha. "If you want to live, do not follow me anymore." The Battousai disappeared into the shadows. With him, also left the scent that Inuyasha had been following.  
  
"Shit!" Inuyasha cursed.  
  
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It had been a bad night. Not as bad as some, but still worse than others. Of course, for Himura Kenshin, better known as "Hitokiri Battousai" almost every night was bad. This night however, Kenshin had been playing bodyguard again, when a faction of the Shinsengumi had surrounded them. Before any of the other bodyguards knew what was happening, Kenshin had slain five with one sweep of his sword. But the numbers of the Shinsengumi were too great, and Kenshin and his fellow bodyguards had had to retreat with the political leader that they were guarding. Kenshin had brought up the rear, to make sure that no Shinsengumi could get to them. Only one single Shinsengumi member had managed to catch up with him, and while Kenshin fought the others had disappeared into the maze-like alleys of Kyoto. After Kenshin had killed the Shinsengumi member, he had had just a few seconds to disappear into the shadows before the rest of the Shinsengumi came. Seeing the dead body, some had cursed "Battousai" as they hurried into the alleyways, hoping to catch the elusive hitokiri that continually escaped them.  
  
Kenshin sighed as he dumped bucket after bucket of water over his head. When would it all be over? He was growing weary.  
  
"Oh, Tomoe," he thought, staring at his hands. "I don't know how much more of this I can take..."  
  
"Himura-san?" a voice came from the doorway. Fleetingly, Kenshin considered using his god-like speed to escape, he really didn't want to deal with anyone right now. But, Karamaki Kazuo was an honest man, if a bit annoying, and deserved his respect.  
  
"Yes, Karamaki-san?" Kenshin asked warily.   
  
Ever since Kazuo had joined the Ishinshishi forces a couple of months ago, he had sort-of idolized Kenshin. Or rather, the Hitokiri Battousai. When Kazuo had actually met Kenshin, he, like so many others, refused to believe that a skinny little waif of a man could be the infamous assassin. After finding out that in fact, Kenshin was actually a year younger than him; Kazuo had challenged Kenshin to a match, which of course Kenshin had refused. Kazuo had simmered with animosity towards him believing that Kenshin didn't really deserve his title as the most valuable bodyguard in the Ishinshishi. However, that all changed a couple of weeks later, when Kazuo had seen Kenshin's battou jutsu in action. Now, Kazuo thinks it would be great if the two of them could be joined at the hip, much to Kenshin's chagrin.  
  
"Oh, Himura-san, I was so worried!" Kazuo blurted out. "Why didn't you come back with the rest of us? Why do you always take such risks!"  
  
Kenshin considered what Kazuo had said. Why did he always take such deadly risks? It's not as if he got some kind of satisfaction out of them. So why did he...?  
  
"Karamaki-san, I am very sorry for worrying you."   
  
Kenshin did not venture any information of what had happened the night before. His mind drifted to the strange man he had met just a few hours earlier. At first, Kenshin had thought it was just another one of the Shinsengumi, but the man's ki signature had told a different story. It was strange, energy had just seemed to be flowing from the man; it was almost as if he wasn't human...and that sword of his, it gave of a strange ki as well; it almost seemed like it had a pulse.... Was he an assassin, after the Battousai? No, he would have had weapons suitable for killing, and even though his sword had a weird ki, it definitely wasn't a killing sword. A spy maybe? That would explain the farmer with a sword get-up, although the hat in the middle of the night was a little conspicuous...and also the reason why the man had seemed reluctant to confront him. But one little thing about this analysis rubbed Kenshin the wrong way. The man hadn't seemed to be expecting him, instead it seemed as if he thought that he was going to find someone else, but who could that be? Another assassin?   
  
Kenshin massaged his temples. It was just all too confusing, and he was tired. "Tomorrow," he resolved. "I'll figure it out tomorrow..."  
  
"Figure what out tomorrow?" Kazuo asked, curious.  
  
Kenshin realized he must have spoken those last few words out loud.   
  
"Nothing," he said as he walked out of the room. Kazuo took a few steps forward to follow, but then thought better of it, leaving the hitokiri to make his way to his room in peace.  
  
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"But you've got your father's sword, right?! C'mon, I believe in you? Don't you?"  
  
"Keh. I wouldn't be so cheerful if I were you. I'm strong enough to survive his blows...but you'll be jelly any moment now."  
  
"You mean...you're giving up?"  
  
~I...I made her cry?!~  
  
"Stop that! Now!"  
  
"Y-you said I shouldn't be..."  
  
"Shut up! I meant, let me protect you! Do you hear?!"  
  
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Why now, after all these years? Why was he remembering her now?  
  
Inuyasha stood before several graves. They had been the first ones to be buried in this place. Inuyasha ought to know, he buried them. Fairly recently though, many more graves had been buried here. When Inuyasha had first found the new graves, he had been angry. This was their spot! No one else deserved to be buried here! But he had eventually calmed down. No point in being pissed at the dead. Besides, he didn't know them, so who was he to judge? Maybe they did deserve to reside here with his loved ones. Who knows what kind of hardships these newcomers had faced, and judging from the amount of the new graves, they had all died in some sort of plague...or a battle.  
  
Inuyasha glanced around the graveyard, internally issuing a greeting to the dead. The crosses of wood that had marked the graves had mostly rotted over the years, all except for the graves marked with stones. Inuyasha scanned the small graveyard again, his eyes settling on a grave that had an intact marker at its head. It looked fairly new, as if someone had been buried there recently, within the last couple of years or so.  
  
Inuyasha turned back with a shrug to the graves of his friends.   
  
There was Shippou, the little fox demon, who had never had a chance to be the man, the great man, that they had all known he would be; Sango, the young demon exterminator, who had never had a chance to reconcile with her younger brother, Kohaku; Miroku, the lecherous monk, who had planned to ask Sango to marry him when the quest was over; Kirara, the little cat demon, trusty companion and friend; and finally, Kagome, the girl from the future and, the one true love of his life. He had never had a chance to tell her that when she was still alive. He had always assumed that there was more time, that there would always be more time. But, their time had run out, and Inuyasha would always regret that he had never had enough guts, no, enough balls, to tell her the truth...that Kikyou was nothing but a mere shadow to Kagome's radiance. Kagome's light... Perhaps that was why he had always felt that he was undeserving of her; that he belonged with Kikyou in hell.   
  
Inuyasha looked down at his sword. "I don't know why I kept you, you worthless piece of crap. You couldn't even save..." He trailed off, knowing it was really he, who couldn't save Kagome; it wasn't the Tetsusaiga's fault, it was his.  
  
Inuyasha's eyes widened. There was that perplexing scent again! But what would the Battousai be doing here? Deciding that he would rather avoid a confrontation with the infamous hitokiri, Inuyasha leapt into a tree at the edge of the clearing. It wasn't that Inuyasha was scared or anything, it's just that he had problems with hurting humans, even if they were cold-hearted killers. He watched in silence as the small, red-haired man approached one of the graves. It was the newest one.  
  
In the morning light, Hitokiri Battousai looked even more harmless than he had the night before. And the sad, melancholy look on his face, helped to create this illusion even more. Was this the grave of someone he had killed? Did the Battousai feel...remorse?  
  
Inuyasha watched as the Battousai pulled out a small flask of sake, and poured it over the grave. He put his hand over a cross-shaped scar that Inuyasha had not noticed the night before and began to speak, softly. Inuyasha could just catch his words.  
  
"It doesn't taste good to me anymore."  
  
Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. What didn't taste good anymore? The sake? Or was it some sort of reference to the hitokiri's occupation? Inuyasha pondered this for a moment, watching the small man kneel in front of the grave, pulling a small bunch of purple flowers out of his sleeve.  
  
"Tomoe..." he began tentatively, lowering his head to look at the ground. "Tomoe...I don't know if I'm the man you thought I was, the man you saw in me...but, when this is all over, I'm going to try, I really am. Until then...please..."  
  
Inuyasha watched in amazement as the hitokiri tried to choke back a sob. This was a side of the killer that he'd never thought he'd see; never thought anyone would see. The Battousai regained control of himself, but his voice still quivered with pain.  
  
"Forgive me."  
  
Inuyasha leaned back against the trunk of the tree that he was sitting on. It seems that there was more to the Hitokiri Battousai than anyone would ever have guessed. The man that was renown for his skill with the blade, reputed to kill with cold efficiency, devoid of mercy; this same man could cry for a woman named Tomoe.  
  
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Kenshin stiffened when he suddenly realized that someone had been watching him. He felt a powerful ki emanating from his left. He glanced to his left, not wishing to alert his watcher that he was aware of him. He fought a shudder of anger at himself. How long had that ki been there, watching him? How could he have not noticed it right away?   
  
"Stupid," he silently told himself, repressing an urge to hit himself. "Stupid."   
  
Gathering his wits, Kenshin sped across the graveyard with his god-like speed, landing lightly beneath the tree he felt the ki coming from, sword in hand. He heard a soft grunt of surprise.  
  
"How long have you been watching me?" he asked, his voice quiet with fury. There was a soft rustle of leaves as a figure silently dropped from the tree. It was the man from the night before, Kenshin noted with mild surprise.  
  
"I thought I told you not to follow me."  
  
To Kenshin's surprise, he felt no fear in the ki of the other man. He scrutinized the face of the man in front of him; what he could see of it anyway. The night before he had only just been able to make out the man's features, so he had no real idea what the man looked like. Now the man had his hat pulled over his eyes, almost like he was hiding.   
  
"Oi! I was here first!" the man said a bit angrily. Kenshin guessed that he was a bit given to anger. Wait...here first? Kenshin felt like smacking his head. How could he have so completely missed him?  
  
"Well," Kenshin said, fingering his sword. "Why are you here?" His voice dropped an octave, simmering with menace. He wasn't too happy that this man was hanging around Tomoe's grave. He probably should just kill him; he probably should have killed him last night. So why didn't he? And why did he feel something telling him not to now?  
  
The man sighed, and dropped down into a sitting position on a nearby rock.   
  
"I guess you could say that I'm visiting." he paused, as if considering what to say. "...my family."  
  
His family? Kenshin looked around him at the graves. Were some of these people that he had buried here so many years ago, this man's family? Apparently the man had caught Kenshin's confused look; he pointed to a corner of the graveyard where four trees were growing. For the first time, Kenshin noticed that underneath the trees were slightly raised mounds of earth. They were graves? How long had they been there? Kenshin glanced up at the man's face, wishing he could see his expression, but all he could see is the firm, hard line of the man's mouth. Kenshin found himself wondering about the man's age. From what he could see of the man's face, it appeared to be a youthful face, but the white of the man's hair belied that. And the sorrow in the man's voice when he spoke of his "family" indicated that he must have known them well, and those graves were at least twenty years old. Was the man just remarkably well preserved, like his own Shishou?   
  
Out loud, Kenshin asked, "Who are you?"  
  
The man sighed again, as if in resignation.  
  
"I just know I'm going to regret this, but since I know who you are, well sorta, and I kinda butted in on your...um." He paused, perhaps regretting that he had reminded Kenshin of that fact.  
  
"I guess you deserve to know who I am." The man straightened the hat on his head, allowing Kenshin his first good look at the man.   
  
Kenshin's first impression was one of strangeness. At first glance the man looked normal, but if you looked at him for longer than a few seconds, you began noticing strange shapes in the man's face; his cheekbones were longer than usual, and his nose was longer than usual as well with a slightly darkened tip. But, it was his eyes that took the cake. They were obviously not human eyes; yellow with cat-like pupils, and from beneath the hat they almost seemed to glow.  
  
Kenshin narrowed his eyebrows, instinctively reaching for his sword. "A demon," he said, with a hint of disbelief in his voice.  
  
The man/demon shook his head calmly, not frightened in the least of Battousai's sword.  
  
"Not quite," he said, "I'm a hanyou, my mother was human." He pulled off his hat in mock salute, revealing two fuzzy dog-ears. "My given name is Inuyasha, although over the years I've been called `Mutt', `Dog Breath', just plain `ole `you', and a whole bunch of others." He wiggled his ears as if for effect and there was a toothy grin on his face, as if he were enjoying Kenshin's discomfort. "And what's your name, Mr. Battousai?"  
  
To his surprise, Kenshin found himself answering this strange, if friendly man.   
  
"Himura Kenshin."  
  
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Author's notes:  
  
-Yeah, I know, Inuyasha is OOC, but I sorta figured that the notoriously immature hanyou that we all know and love would have matured at least a little in 3 1/2 centuries. He's definitely chilled out a lot.  
  
-In my opinion, Kenshin as the Battousai, is pretty in-character, although if you don't think so you're certainly welcome to tell me so and how to fix it. That doesn't necessarily mean I'll take your advice, but I will consider it.  
  
-Well, that's about it. I'll probably write this story until I get sick of it, but if you like it, review it, and I'll probably be more inclined to write more.  
  
Green signing out. 


	2. Bloody Rain

I don't own Inuyasha or Rurouni Kenshin. Yep...  
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--  
  
Rurouni Inuyasha  
  
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"Pleased to meet you Himura Kenshin." Inuyasha didn't bother to stifle his grin. This kid was funny, all serious and huffy one minute, saying, "I'm going to kill you," and then giving out his real name the next. And despite himself, Inuyasha found himself liking the kid. He sorta reminded him of himself at that age; all angsty, and misunderstood, and well, talented.   
  
Kenshin allowed himself an itsy bitsy hint of smile and Inuyasha briefly wondered to himself what the kid would look like with a real smile on his face.   
  
"Well, I probably should be leaving now," Kenshin said, turning around.  
  
"All right, kid. I'll see you later." Inuyasha smiled a little before walking off. Behind him he heard a voice say in faint disbelief, "Kid?"  
  
Inuyasha shook his head as he leapt up into a nearby tree. What would Kagome think of all this? He had just gone and made friends with an assassin, a person who was just as much a murderer as any demon. Hitokiri Battousai, a killer who got his nickname from his mastery over the battou jutsu, the art of unsheathing the sword at god-like speeds. Himura Kenshin. The kid couldn't be over 17, and already a legend of the Bakumatsu. Quite an accomplishment, that. It was more than enough to give anyone else an ego problem, but not Himura. No, instead the kid almost seemed too modest. Like it was something he was ashamed of....   
  
"Forgive me."  
  
Behind the coldness in Himura's eyes Inuyasha sensed a person who wanted out, a person who had seen too much death and tragedy.... Familiar. The kid's eyes were so familiar. Where had he seen those eyes before?  
  
And there was another thing that had been bothering him. Himura's scent. Over the last day, Inuyasha hadn't really had time to think about it. He had been too consumed with his own memories, triggered by the familiar scent, he realized now. Why on Earth did Himura smell like Kagome? Or Kikyou for that matter? A distant relative of Kikyou's, perhaps? A distant cousin? One of Kagome's ancestors? But, he smelled exactly like them, so much so, that Inuyasha had believed in the back of his mind that he was going to meet another resurrected Kikyou. Or worse, a resurrected Kagome.   
  
It was like when he had just awoken from his 50-year enchantment that Kikyou had placed on him.... He had thought that Kagome was Kikyou because of the way she smelled. Of course he had just woken up from a 50 year nap, so maybe his brain was a little addled, not to mention he had been furious and not really in his right mind back then....   
  
Wait....  
  
Kagome and Kikyou smelled the same...like they were the same person.... Himura smells like Kagome and Kikyou did...does that mean...?  
  
Oh, fuck.  
  
---  
Life was strange. It seemed that as soon as you had finally settled on something to believe, something that made sense, something that could not be altered, an absolute truth; that belief of yours could be so easily shattered. All the man had had to do was remove his hat, and Kenshin's philosophy on life was broken. Monsters, ghosts, demons...they did not exist. At least that was what he had always thought. Just superstition, fairy tales to pass the time with. But then again, every fairy tale has a grain of truth to it. Still, it was odd that there had never been any indication that there were demons in the world, up until now, that is. It was strange. It seemed like there should have been some indication, regardless how small, of their existence. Unless they were so good at passing themselves off as human that there would never be anyway of telling. Even so....  
  
Kenshin shook his head. How many demons had he met, never even knowing what they were? How many people out on the streets of Kyoto were demons? Or fellow Ishinshishi? How many of them were out there?  
  
The man...demon...hanyou...was different from what he would have expected. Kenshin had always expected demons to be bloodthirsty monsters, bent on destroying humanity. But the demon was half human. Was that why he had seemed fairly normal in spite of his strange features and that strange ki that came off of him in waves? Why hadn't Kenshin seen him for what he was right away? Now it seemed so obvious.  
  
"Ah, but now you believe in demons, before you didn't," the voice of logic intercepted. True, that was true.  
  
It was somewhat ironic, that he had met a demon. The infamous Hitokiri Battousai, rumored to be a demon because of his god-like speed and his blood-red hair, had actually met a demon.   
  
Life was a strange and mischievous thing. When he thought about it, Kenshin's entire life was somewhat ironic. First he was spared death, all the while destined to mete out so much of it. He fought and killed to achieve peace and equality; he had met a demon and found that he himself was more of one....   
  
That was what had really been bothering him. The demon, Inuyasha, was actually a nice person. Or at least a decent person, the vote was still out on whether or not he was nice. It was disconcerting to find that fabled monsters of legend could be more forgiving and merciful than most men were in this time of war.   
  
But then again, it wasn't really the hanyou's war, was it…. The hanyou, Inuyasha, could afford to be forgiving and merciful. He wasn't fighting for justice or a cause. And he also wasn't bone weary, and tired of it.   
  
The demon's soul wasn't dead like his was.  
  
Kenshin picked up his sword, not even bothering to acknowledge the frightened glances he got as he did so. He was the Hitokiri Battousai, he could go crazy at any moment and kill them all. Even his allies believed he was a monster without mercy.  
  
"When this is all over, I will be able to afford being forgiving and merciful...." Kenshin thought as he stood up and shoved the sheathed sword into his belt.  
  
But at the door of the room he paused and asked himself, "But can I ever be forgiven?" before he followed Katsura Kogoro, a major player in the political game of war, out of the meeting as a trusted and quite capable bodyguard.   
  
---  
  
It was late afternoon by the time Inuyasha finally emerged from his room at one of the many cheap inns in Kyoto. Since he never really hung out with humans anymore, he had started becoming more nocturnal; sleeping during the day, wandering around at night. It was easier to move around at night anyway; less people to bug him or comment on his appearance, and it was easier to slip into the shadows. If it hadn't been for his odd sleeping habits, Inuyasha probably would not have ever met the kid Himura…Battousai. He wouldn't have been wandering down dark alleys in the middle of the night, or visiting Kagome's grave at the crack of dawn.  
  
That kid…. Could he really be the reincarnation of Kikyou? It was hard to believe…although in some ways it wasn't so hard to see. The sadness in Himura's eyes was exactly like the sadness in Kikyou's eyes. It was that sadness that had brought him close to Kikyou, and maybe it was that same sadness that he saw in the kid's eyes that made him feel pity for him.   
  
Both of them, Kikyou and Himura, were extremely talented with their chosen weapons, Kikyou herself had been able to take down formidable demons with only her bow and arrow. And from he had seen of Himura's victims, the kid probably would be able to do the same if he could harness his spiritual ki. But, in this day and age there was no need for magical abilities, only the need for the ability to kill other humans.   
  
Even after all this time, they still fought to death over trivial things. Was it so wrong that the peasants wanted more rights? Family names? Reasons to wake up in the morning? Was it really worth all this bloodshed? Inuyasha shook his head disdainfully. He would never understand humans and their power struggles. Hell, he hadn't even understood most of the demon ones.  
  
"Maybe it's just politics I don't understand," he thought to himself, as he passed a local tavern. (bar?, sake house? Eh??) Inuyasha studied the shop's sign for a moment. He had never really drunk much sake, never really saw the point in it, but for some reason it sounded pretty good right now. Besides, it was dark inside, he'd be able to move his hat off his forehead a little.  
  
After about three cups of sake, Inuyasha was still trying to figure out why he had come in there. The sake tasted bad and it wasn't doing anything for him.   
  
Vaguely, Inuyasha wondered what it was like to be drunk. For some reason it sounded like a fun thing to be right now. He glanced down at the bottle of sake in front of him and abruptly chugged the entire thing down. Maybe if he drank a whole lot he would get at least a little tipsy.  
  
Around the tavern, people began turning to watch as this strange man who ordered bottle after bottle of sake. It was amazing; he didn't even seem to be drunk. Whispers and speculations began to circulate around the room. Who was this guy?   
  
Inuyasha quietly mused to himself in the corner, oblivious to the stares he was getting. Besides the heavy consumption of liquor, he was shaking his head and muttering to himself.   
  
The Hitokiri Battousai…. Kikyou…. Nah, it was too weird. Yep, weird, weird, weird. He didn't like it, it was too strange. Better just to disregard it. Nope, Kikyou is not a goofy looking assassin. Nope, not pretty, mysterious Kikyou. Of course the kid was pretty too. Wait, what was he thinking? He looked down at all the sake bottles that had accumulated on his table. Must be the sake. Yeah, maybe he was actually getting drunk. Surprise, surprise. Heh…  
  
Wait. Inuyasha's head cleared as he caught hold of a familiar scent. It was faint, but it was definitely there. And it was mixed with the scent of blood.  
  
He left some coins to pay for his considerable tab, and didn't even notice when people began applauding as he left.  
----------  
"Himura san?"  
  
Kenshin jerked out of the reverie that he had fallen into and turned to Katsura.   
  
"Yes, Katsura san?"  
  
"Nothing." Katsura smirked a little, Kenshin figured it was because he was pleased that he had caught Kenshin off guard.  
  
Kenshin didn't know what was wrong with him. He kept on finding himself staring off into space, it seemed for no reason at all. Something about the sun setting, and the way the clouds clustered overhead just seemed to put him into a trance.  
  
Katsura seemed amused by it though. Even so, it was not good for a bodyguard to be daydreaming while on duty. Even though nothing was happening...and he hadn't gotten much sleep lately...and for some reason he could see Tomoe's face in the clouds....   
  
Kenshin smacked himself in the face, startling Kazuo.  
  
"Himura san? Are you all right?" Kazuo asked Kenshin worriedly. Kenshin just waved him off.  
  
"Fine, fine."  
  
Kenshin tensed as he felt a powerful ki nearby. An assassin? During the day? He whirled to watch as a figure came out of the shadows. Apparently the Shogunate also had shadow assassins in their employ.  
  
"Katsura Kogoro, I have come to take your life." All the bodyguards besides Kenshin quickly surrounded the assassin.  
  
Those words, so familiar. It wasn't so long ago that Kenshin had said them on a regular basis.  
  
Kenshin stepped forward, in front of Katsura.   
  
"I cannot let you do that," he said in a quiet menacing voice. Upon seeing him, the assassin gasped.  
  
"Battousai!?"  
  
Kenshin descended upon the shadow assassin without mercy, cleanly slicing through his body. Kenshin glanced around surveying those around him. All seemed to be well and intact. He had just finished cleaning his blade when he became aware of more killing ki around them. Ninjas? It had to be, no one but they could hide their ki well enough to escape Battousai's notice. Well, not usually anyway. Kenshin tensed when he felt a hand on his shoulder, only to relax when he realized it was Katsura.  
  
"Himura...we have to get out of here."  
  
Kenshin nodded. "I know." He turned to Kazuo.  
  
"Karamaki san, take Katsura san to the safe house. I'll try to hold them off."   
  
"Them?" Kazuo looked confused.  
  
Kenshin gritted his teeth with frustration. The moron couldn't sense ki! "Just go!" he hissed.  
  
Kazuo was about to argue when Katsura spoke. "He's right, Karamaki san. Others are coming. We must go." He looked at Kenshin before turning to go. "The effort is appreciated, Himura san."  
  
Kenshin stepped into the shadows, watching the others go. The ninjas were coming closer. Kenshin suppressed his ki down as far as it would go. It would go faster if he could take them by surprise.  
  
He barely even breathed as they entered the alley. There were many of them, more than he had expected....  
  
Without warning, Kenshin sped out of his hiding place and slashed through three of the ninjas in one go, turning to slash through three more. The others had retreated out of his range, but no matter, these were not seasoned fighters, some were still stumbling in confusion.  
  
"Battousai."  
  
Kenshin whirled and attacked the voice that had addressed him, driving one of his swords through the ninja's stomach. The ninja fell, but managed to stab Kenshin in the right shoulder with a hidden dagger. Kenshin growled, not out of pain, but out of the fact that this would slow down the speed and strength with which he used his sword. He moved to make the killing blow, nonchalantly brushing a few more of the ninjas away with his katana. The one in front of him was obviously the leader. Without him, the entire group would disperse, and maybe Kenshin wouldn't have to take anymore lives this night.   
  
"That's just an excuse and you know it," a voice inside Kenshin whispered. "You love it, don't you? Murderer."  
  
He paused before striking the leading ninja down. The wounds Kenshin had inflicted were bad, but not fatal. If the ninja found his way to a doctor in time, he could be saved.   
  
"If you agree to retreat, I will spare your lives."  
  
The ninja growled, struggling to rise to his feet. "Don't want to kill a woman?" The ninja asked as her mask fell, revealing a face twisted with fury. She was a young woman, with long black hair and features that would be considered beautiful under normal circumstances. But what hit Kenshin the most was her remarkable resemblance to....  
  
"Tomoe," Kenshin whispered, his sword falling from his hand. The ninja didn't waste a moment, rushing forward to drive a dagger into his chest.  
  
Without thinking, Kenshin pulled out his shorter sword and sliced through her body, watching as she fell in a bloody heap at his feet.  
  
It was the same thing all over again.   
  
Kenshin dropped to his knees, cradling the dying woman in his arms.  
  
"Tomoe!" he whispered. "I'm so sorry, Tomoe..."   
  
The woman tried to claw at his face, Kenshin made no move to stop her.  
  
"You murderer," she whispered with helpless fury. "You killed my brother, I will never forgive you." Her breath hitched and she struggled to breathe. She would be dead soon. It was surprising she wasn't already.   
  
Kenshin didn't even flinch as a poisoned dart flew into uninjured shoulder. The tears falling from his face mingled with the blood of his wounds, and he was dimly aware of the other ninjas starting to surround them, about to attack him.   
  
He looked down at the woman cradled in his arms. She wasn't Tomoe, he knew that, but the heaviness of what he had been doing for the last three years came all down on him at once. It didn't matter anymore.  
  
"I made the bloody rain come," he said to no one in particular. The woman in his lap glared at him before drawing her final breath, hating him to the last. His vision started blurring, going black, and he sat quietly, waiting for his death. The death of the Hitokiri Battousai. A momentous occasion, maybe there would be a festival, with so many people celebrating.  
  
Then there was a distant voice. A strong voice.   
  
"Leave him alone." Sounds of fighting seemed to echo around him and the last thing Kenshin was aware of was of someone carrying him before he blacked out.Author's Notes:  
  
----------  
  
~well, that was depressing wasn't it? sorry.  
~I created a FAQ page. I will be putting the answers to the questions you ask in reviews on this page. Yep.  
~Thank you so much for reviewing me, everybody! Evidently it worked, I wrote another chapter! Yay! 


	3. Interlude I: Inuyasha

I don't own Inuyasha.  
  
------  
Rurouni Inuyasha  
-----  
  
It was dark. That was Inuyasha's first thought as he woke up. His eyes opened suddenly. Where was he? A forest? He tried to bring an arm up to his face, but found that he couldn't move an inch.   
  
"What?" he thought in a panic. "What's going on?" Abruptly the memory washed over him.  
  
~"Inuyasha!"  
  
He felt pain as an arrow thudded through his heart. Inuyasha looked up at the person who shot him.  
  
"Bitch..." he said as his vision darkened. "How dare you..."~  
  
That's right, Kikyou had betrayed him. She had told him that she would give him the shikon no tama, then she had gone and turned on him. The bitch. So Inuyasha had gone to get the jewel himself, demolishing most of the village in the process. But who cared? The bastards deserved it! Then Kikyou killed him… shooting him through the heart with an enchanted arrow. Inuyasha glanced down at the arrow still pinning him to a tree. It would have been better if she had really killed him....  
  
Speak of the devil. Er…priestess.  
  
"I can smell her," he said aloud. "I smell the woman who killed me. She's coming closer...."  
  
He listened attentively as the source of the smell came closer. Kikyou burst into the clearing, pursued by a huge centipede demon.  
  
"Whatever you think I have, I don't have it!" she yelled at the centipede woman. The centipede woman didn't answer her, just rushed the girl who managed to duck at the last moment.  
  
"Why are you toying with that wimpy centipede jourou opponent of yours?" Inuyasha had a bit of a snarl on his face when the girl looked up at him.  
  
"Eh..? Who are...?"  
  
What was this? Was she going to pretend not to know him? Fine. He could see through her little act.  
  
"Why don't you settle this with a single blow, Kikyou," he paused, putting emphasis on the next bit. "Like when you killed me." He smirked a bit. To his surprise, she responded with anger.  
  
"'Kikyou...' What are you saying? My name is--"  
  
"It's coming," Inuyasha interrupted her, smelling the centipede monster.  
  
The centipede woman came and rushed Kikyou again, grabbing her this time. Inuyasha wasn't too worried, Kikyou could handle herself. Besides, what did he care? She was the one who killed him after all.  
  
Spears came out of nowhere, hitting the centipede demon, causing her to release Kikyou. She looked at the villagers, relieved.  
  
"Sa..aved..." she gratefully murmured. Inuyasha furrowed his eyebrows. What was she doing; playing the innocent maiden?  
  
"Keh, what a disgrace, Kikyou." Kikyou turned to him again in anger.  
  
"Listen you," she began. "You're mistaking me for someone else. I'm not this Kikyou person!"  
  
" Keh, you think I wouldn't know the stench of the woman who..." Inuyasha stopped as he looked at the girl for the first time. She looked like Kikyou, but she wasn't....  
  
"You're...not Kikyou!"   
  
The girl was still angry at him. "You get it now? My name's Kagome! Ka-Go-Me!"  
  
He should've known. She wasn't acting the way Kikyou did at all. Kikyou never showed her anger; Kikyou could handle wimpy demons with no problem.  
  
"I'm a fool. Kikyou is more intelligent looking. A beauty."  
  
The girl was even angrier now. "You...!" At that moment a villager landed at their feet. The centipede woman grabbed the girl, who in turn grabbed Inuyasha. Or rather, she grabbed his hair.  
  
"Let...me...go!!" the girl yelled while at the same moment Inuyasha yelled, "Ow ow ow ow leggo!"  
  
"My body is troublesome," the centipede woman said. Inuyasha was wondering what she was getting at. "I will eat you along with the shikon no tama..."  
  
Shikon no tama?! Inuyasha looked at the girl. She had it?  
  
The centipede demon pulled harder on Kagome. The girl pushed a hand at the demon, yelling "Stop it!" and to Inuyasha's surprise the demon was blown away from them, losing a few arms in the process.  
  
"Huh?" the girl made a surprised noise, apparently unaware of her power. Around them, the villagers looked on in awe at the girl. Inuyasha furrowed his eyebrows. Was this girl Kikyou after all? No, that wasn't possible, unless Kikyou had completely lost her memory...or her mind. Abruptly the demon rushed the girl again, taking a bite out of the girl's side. Inuyasha could only watch in amazement as the shikon no tama was pried from the girl's stomach. She had had it the entire time!  
  
"As I thought, she had it hidden inside her body," the centipede woman said offhandedly as she rushed forward to gobble it up.  
  
"THAT BALL IS MINE!!" Inuyasha yelled frantically. The girl looked up at him.  
  
"What...?"  
  
"Hand it over!" he yelled to her. But she didn't have a chance to because the centipede demon chose this moment to slam the girl into the tree Inuyasha was trapped on. The demon wrapped herself around the tree, trapping Inuyasha and Kagome together. The coils of the centipede woman's body tightened, crushing the girl. It didn't affect Inuyasha at all, to whom it was only an annoyance. The centipede demon regarded him.  
  
"I've heard of a half-demon brat who is after the shikon no tama," she said. "Is that you?" The centipede woman was obviously very proud of herself and she chuckled a bit.  
  
Half-demon brat, huh? Not if he could help it.  
  
"Don't take me lightly, Centipede Jourou," Inuyasha said. "When I fight for real, a bitch like you is just a small fry."  
  
The girl looked up at him. "Oi," she said. "You talk pretty big, but are you really strong?" Inuyasha regarded her with disgust. Stupid girl.  
  
"You cannot move, can you, brat? That's some spell you're under," the centipede woman remarked. "Now, all you can do is watch while I devour the shikon no tama!"  
  
"Shit!" Inuyasha cursed. After all the trouble he had gone through some stupid small fry ended up with the shikon no tama, and there was nothing he could do.  
  
They all watched as the centipede woman began her transformation. Her arms returned to her from where they had previously lain on the forest floor, then her face cracked, revealing a much uglier centipede woman underneath, and new uglier arms burst out where her old ones had used to be. It was pretty disgusting…. Yep, really disgusting.  
  
"How wonderful..." the centipede woman exclaimed. "I am now back to my full power!" The coils around the girl and Inuyasha tightened. Inuyasha glanced down at the girl, she was obviously in pain.   
  
"Oi," he said to her. "This arrow, can you pull it out?"  
  
The girl looked at him in confusion. "What?" Despite her confusion, the girl began reaching up to pull the arrow out.  
  
"No! You must not pull that arrow out!" a voice yelled. Inuyasha looked and saw that it was an old woman with an eye patch over one eye. "That arrow is Inuyasha's seal! He cannot be set free!"  
  
What was with this old witch? How could she hate him so much when he had never even met her?  
  
"Are you stupid or somethin', grandma? Want to become centipede food?" he exclaimed, furious at her foolishness, did she really think that he would be worse than the centipede? All he was going to do was get the shikon no tama, and then he'd be on his merry way.   
  
"Because if that thing completely absorbs the shikon no tama, there's no doubt we're all going to be centipede food," Inuyasha continued. He looked down at the girl crushed against him.   
  
"How about it, girl? Do you want to die here with me?"  
  
The girl's eyes narrowed in fury and she reached up to pull the arrow embedded into Inuyasha's chest out. Finally.  
  
"Live again, Inuyasha!"  
  
"That was pretty melo-dramatic," Inuyasha thought briefly before the magnitude of what had just happened occurred to him. He was free! He could feel it, and he began laughing as he watched the arrow in the girl's hand disappear. Free! He tried out his strength, and easily burst through the coils of the centipede woman, launching off the tree and landing in front of the startled demon.  
  
"You brat," the centipede demon said, rushing towards him.  
  
"Come and get it you stupid cow!" Inuyasha exclaimed, rushing towards the other demon as well. With a swipe of his Sankon Tetsusou, the centipede demon was nothing more than bits and pieces of flesh. What a great feeling it was! Watch out all you wimpy demons! Inuyasha is back!   
  
Oh, wait...the shikon no tama, right. Inuyasha turned around to find the old hag and young wench picking through the remains of the demon. Somehow, the girl seemed to know exactly where it was, although that wasn't too farfetched, it after all had rested once in her stomach.  
  
"Oh, I see," the girl said to the old baabaa. "So this ball, the shikon no tama, gives power to demons."  
  
Inuyasha walked up behind her. "Yep, it's useless to humans."  
  
The girl turned around to look at him. "So hand it over," Inuyasha continued. "Unless you want to become a victim of my claws."  
  
The old woman spoke up again. "No, Kagome! You must not give it to him!" Inuyasha furrowed his brow. What was with this old lady anyhow? He looked at the girl. This was definitely starting to piss him off. Well, no more mercy, then.  
  
"Do you think I'll go easy on you, girl?" Inuyasha asked, cracking his fingernails evilly. He sprung forward. "Not for some stinking wench, I won't!" Inuyasha purposely missed, only cleaving the air above the girl's head; he only wanted to put the fear of God in the girl. Or rather...the fear of Inuyasha, heh heh heh heh. He grinned menacingly as he lightly landed in a crouch.  
  
"Next time, I'll cut you in half."  
  
He watched as the girl stood up again, fire burning in her eyes. So she was going to be difficult.  
  
"You seriously just tried to kill me just now!" She yelled.  
  
It was obvious that she wasn't going to hand the shikon no tama over to him just like that, so Inuyasha decided he would just have to take it by force. Fine, he was all right with that. Once again Inuyasha sprung towards the girl.  
  
"Prepare to die!" he yelled, swinging an arm at the girl, but cleaving through a nearby tree instead as the girl ducked behind it. Even so, the girl fell, dropping the shikon no tama. Inuyasha took this opportunity to attack the girl, she wasn't going to be going anywhere.  
  
"Take this!"   
  
Out of nowhere, something flew around his neck. It was a necklace of some sort. A rosary?!  
  
"Kagome! Utter a subduing spell!" the old hag yelled. Oh, so she was interfering again, was she? Well, Inuyasha would take care of her next.   
  
"A sub...what?!" The girl muttered in confusion.  
  
"It doesn't matter what! Just say a word to subdue him!"  
  
Okay, this was really, really starting to piss Inuyasha off.   
  
"You, subdue me?!" he scoffed. "Don't make me laugh!" He continued his attack.  
  
The girl looked around as if searching for a word. "Uh...um...SIT!!"  
  
To his surprise, Inuyasha went splat, smack right on to his face.  
  
"What the fuck!?" Inuyasha managed to exclaim . In vain he tried to pry the rosary off.  
  
"It's useless Inuyasha. That rosary confines your power. It will never come off." The old witch again. What the hell did she have against him?! Inuyasha leapt again, this time at the old woman.  
  
"Go stuff it, old crone!"  
  
The old woman nonchalantly turned to the girl.  
  
"Say your word."  
  
The girl nodded. "Sit, boy!"  
  
Oh, of all the humiliating things to happen to him, this had to be the worst one. He was being treated like a common house pet! Agggh! That girl, that bitch! He was going to get her. She was going to regret this!  
  
-----  
Yes, I know, you probably all want to kill me. Don't worry; I'll get back to the real story soon, hopefully within the next couple of days or so.  
  
---Green  
  
----- 


	4. Osuwari

And now, after my little hiatus of directly copying from the manga, I shall return to actually writing my own story! Or not, since this is a fanfiction and all. Oh, I see, the story is mine, just not the characters. No no no, alter ego Evil Green who has creepy pink eyes, I don't own Inuyasha or Rurouni Kenshin! No, stop! Ite, ite, ite, ite, ite!!!  
  
-----  
Rurouni Inuyasha  
---  
  
Wow, it had been a long time since Inuyasha had thought of the first time he had met Kagome. They had really been at each other's throats back then. Inuyasha grinned at the memory. Kagome had always been such an enigma to him, ever since the beginning. She had never been afraid of him, even when they had first met and he had seriously, well, semi-seriously, been trying to kill her.  
  
A slight movement to his left pulled Inuyasha from his musing. His ward had turned over, murmuring something about ramen. This was a good thing, considering the kid hadn't moved once since they had gotten back to Inuyasha's room. He had been starting to wonder if the kid was dead or in a coma or something.   
  
Mmmmm…ramen. He remembered ramen; that delicious little treat that Kagome brought back with her all the time. Wait. Did ramen exist in this time period? Maybe the boy was just speaking in gibberish…  
  
Inuyasha looked over at the figure laid out on his futon. The kid seemed to be dreaming something, he was moving around a bit, not too much, his wounds were still too severe, but at least it didn't seem to be a nightmare. Oh, boy, when Inuyasha had first brought the kid back, the boy had had some doozies. If it hadn't been clear to him earlier, it was clear to him now; the kid, Himura, was not a bloodthirsty killer. In fact, he was anything but, and if the dreams were any indication, Inuyasha had a sneaking suspicion that the kid felt each death that he took as a weight on his soul.  
  
The kid rolled over again, this time muttering about exams. Well, those wounds certainly didn't seem to be bothering him too much.   
  
"Of course," Inuyasha thought, "despite how he looks, this kid's a seasoned warrior, and can probably overcome minor things like pain."  
  
It was still amazing to think that this kid was the hitokiri battousai. Somehow Inuyasha had always seen him as a rougher character, someone in his late thirties, with deep scars all across his body, and a lot taller and a lot wider than the actual thing was. Sure, in his vision of the battousai, Inuyasha had seen the infamous blood red hair, and the vicious scar on the cheek, but on this kid…it seemed a little blasphemous.  
  
But once you got past the physical attributes of the hitokiri, you could see it, you could feel it. This kid, he really had to stop thinking about him like that, was really the battousai. The night before Inuyasha had felt that, had seen it with his own two eyes; this young, physically unimposing, person, slashing through bodies effortlessly with such speed and grace, that it hadn't seemed real. The face of the hitokiri, even while snarling or smiling, had been emotionless, and that hidden strength that you never would've guessed was there…. In those few moments, Inuyasha felt he had seen the real side of the hitokiri battousai, a person who seemed born to kill; in those few moments, Inuyasha had seen the man of legends…and it was utterly terrifying.  
  
But, then…he had stopped. He had stopped killing and he had given the rest a way out. Inuyasha, who had been still so shocked by the killing fury in the kid's eyes, had just stood there in the shadows, watching as the boy had broken down.... Tomoe...the name that Himura had said at the graveyard. The kid had just sat there, all of his former determination gone; he had just sat there, waiting to die. That was when Inuyasha had finally snapped out of his shock. Seeing the ninjas descending upon the defenseless hitokiri was more than he could take, and Inuyasha had run to the rescue, carrying Himura back to the inn.  
  
Inuyasha sat back to regard the boy. In his sleep, Inuyasha could see a passing resemblance to Kikyou, though not nearly as close a resemblance as Kagome had had. Similar eye shape, though, a similar nose; the boy had a more masculine chin than Kikyou, though he was still pretty feminine looking. Poor kid, he probably got harassed about that a lot. Well...maybe not to his face. Most people probably didn't want to piss off the Battousai.  
  
"Inuyasha..."  
  
Hmmm? This was odd. To his knowledge the kid hadn't called Inuyasha by his name once. Why start now, while dreaming? Maybe he needed something?  
  
"...no baka."  
  
Oh, so he was the idiot now; he saw how it was. Stupid boy. Still, this was odd, very odd. Inuyasha shook the kid lightly.  
  
"Oi."  
  
Suddenly, Himura pushed him away with surprising strength.  
  
"Inuyasha no baka!" the kid screamed, sitting up. His eyes were glazed over, as if he were still dreaming. "I have an important math exam tomorrow! I need to get into a good school!" The boy stopped screaming, as if listening to something; someone?  
  
Ah? What the hell?! Had the kid gone crazy? Had Inuyasha gone crazy? Because for some strange reason this was all seeming very familiar.  
  
"Inuyasha!" the boy screamed again.  
  
Uh, oh. He could just see where this was going, and he could tell he wasn't going to like it.  
  
"Sit!"  
  
Whump.  
  
"Bitch!" came Inuyasha's standatory explicative for this particular situation.   
  
(I'm sure you all saw that one coming)  
  
-------  
  
Kenshin woke sitting up. Not that this was different from how he usually slept, but generally when he slept sitting up he was leaning against something; this time he wasn't. And besides that he wasn't where he expected to be either. Instead of waking up in his own room, he was in some room he had never seen before.   
  
"That must have been some dream."  
  
Huh? Kenshin turned and found the demon that he kept on seeming to run into, regarding him somewhat angrily from the floor.   
  
"Dream?" Kenshin asked, his eyes darting around the room, looking for his swords. Even though, surprisingly, Kenshin felt fairly safe here with the demon, he might have to make a quick exit, and besides, not having his swords near him made him feel uneasy.  
  
Kenshin finished his reprisal of the room, finding his swords over on a stack of bloody clothes, presumably his. He looked back at the demon who seemed to be trying to pull himself off the floor.   
  
"Demon san," Kenshin began. "Where are we?"  
  
The demon had managed to pull himself up into a sitting position.  
  
"My room."  
  
Kenshin shook his head. "Yes, but where?"  
  
The demon looked him in the eye. "The Sakura Inn."  
  
Kenshin nodded, thinking. All right, that was only a couple of blocks away from his own inn, in his present state, it would probably take him about 15 minutes to get back there. Kenshin glanced out the window, it looked like it was late morning; better wait until night fall then, in his current condition a fight could be detrimental.  
  
"Hey, kid," the demon said, grabbing Kenshin's attention. "You don't have to call me demon san. Just Inuyasha will do."  
  
So the demon had decided they should be friends, Kenshin thought, noting the absence of the honorific. This was a strange occurrence. Kenshin was used to people avoiding him, respectfully of course; but for most of the last three years he hadn't really had a friend. Mostly his fellow Ishinshishi were terrified of him, and they were really the only people he ever made contact with, and in this time of war, it was generally a bad idea to get close to anyone. Kenshin had learned that the hard way. Even so....  
  
"Then please stop calling me kid. Kenshin san is fine." Kenshin had a bit of a smile on his face.  
  
"Kenshin SAN?!" the demon, Inuyasha, exclaimed. This was the reaction Kenshin had been hoping for.  
  
"Yes Kenshin san. I am a samurai, after all." Kenshin began climbing to his feet, his lips twitching with the urge to grin.   
  
"Oi, don't!" Inuyasha exclaimed, pushing Kenshin back onto the futon. "Moron! You could reopen one of your wounds! And besides," Inuyasha jumped up, taking on a superior pose, "I'm in a higher caste than you anyways; my father was the great demon dog of the western region of Japan! I'm practically royalty!"   
  
Kenshin blinked. Well, that was pretty childish of the demon. Kenshin smiled.  
  
"What?" Inuyasha asked, back to his normal semi rude self. Kenshin laughed. How strange that felt.  
  
"Sure thing, Inuyasha SAN."  
  
"Oh, shut up, and eat your miso soup," Inuyasha said, pushing a bowl towards Kenshin. "I'm going to sleep. I suggest you do to."  
  
Inuyasha plopped down against the wall and closed his eyes. He opened one eye to regard Kenshin briefly.  
  
"Kenshin SAN no baka."  
  
-----  
  
It was late afternoon and the kid, Kenshin, was still sleeping soundly. Inuyasha however, hadn't slept a wink all day, preferring to watch over his ward. In the past he had actually played this role many times, although it had been a long time since. This kid seemed to bring back so many memories. Not surprising though, considering who he was. It was just one surprise after another.  
  
Inuyasha idly fingered a beaded rosary around his neck, lost in thought. Hmph. Silly kid. Inuyasha smiled just a little bit.   
  
"It looks like I got my wish after all."  
  
Inuyasha's ears perked up as Kenshin began stirring.  
  
"Oi, kid, how ya' feeling?" Inuyasha asked.  
  
"Mmmm...a little hungry."  
  
"More miso soup coming right up!"   
  
Inuyasha watched as the kid dug into the soup, slurping loudly. It was strange, something about watching Kenshin eat made him seem so much more...human. Maybe it was the voracious appetite he was showing... or the fact that he wasn't looking at him with those too wise eyes.   
  
Kagome had had blue eyes, an unusual feature she shared with Kikyou, although Kikyou's eyes hadn't been as bright, almost as if the color of her eyes signified Kikyou's melancholy, compared to Kagome's exuberance. Because of that he had always thought that a person's eyes showed the nature of a their soul, and he found it very odd and worrisome that Kenshin's eyes weren't blue as well, but instead a demon like amber. Because if he wasn't sure by now, that last incident while the kid had been dreaming cinched it. No one but Kagome could make him "sit."  
  
"Inuyasha san?" Inuyasha flushed a little, thinking Kenshin had caught him staring at him and had thought the wrong thing.  
  
"Just Inuyasha. What?"  
  
The kid looked away, embarrassed, and Inuyasha thought, "Oh, great. Here it comes. He probably thinks I want to jump him or something."  
  
"I just wanted to know..." he stopped, and Inuyasha nearly jumped up and left. He really couldn't deal with this right now.  
  
"...what your father was like." All right, it was time to go. Maybe he should try the sake thing again.... Huh, what?  
  
"My father?" Inuyasha asked, bewildered. That had not been the question he had been expecting at all. Kenshin noticed the bewilderment and sighed.  
  
"It's just...I don't remember my own father all that well, he died when I was young..." He looked down. Inuyasha scratched his nose, wondering what to say.  
  
"Well, I'm afraid I can't help you much there, kid...Kenshin. My father died when I was just a kid, too. I don't even remember my mother all that well."  
  
The kid looked a little crestfallen. "Oh, so I guess we're both orphans."  
  
Inuyasha shrugged. "Everyone's an orphan at some point. Not many are ever truly alone." At those words, Inuyasha noticed Kenshin's gaze drift over to where his swords were sadly. Ah, the burden of a hitokiri.  
  
"I've been wondering about this for a while," Kenshin said after a moment of silence. "Are there a lot of you?"  
  
Inuyasha grimaced a little. "I was wondering when you would ask that." He sighed. "No. I'm the only one left that I know of."  
  
Kenshin looked a little bit startled at that. "You mean..."  
  
Inuyasha nodded. "Yep. Over the last three hundred years or so, they started disappearing. I didn't notice at first, since it was the small fries that went first. Then the mediocre demons, and then finally all the extremely powerful demons were gone. Poof! Just like that! Gone!" He shrugged. "Even my own brother, Sesshoumaru, disappeared about a hundred years ago without a trace. I figure the only reason I'm still around is because I'm half human."  
  
The kid looked even more started. "Three hundred years?" he asked, disbelief in his tone. "Just how old are you?"  
  
"417, 368 if you discount the years I spent pinned to a tree in an enchanted sleep."  
  
"Enchanted sleep?"  
  
"It's a long story, kid," Inuyasha waved him off. "We don't have time for it now." And frankly, it was a story that hit too close to the current situation.  
  
Kenshin eyed him with scrutiny, sensing the evasion. "Why not?"  
  
"Don't you think someone important is wondering where their prime hitokiri is?"  
  
-----  
  
Kenshin was very, very tired. It had been a tiresome night, though educational. He had gotten to spend more time than he had ever thought possible with the half demon, and he found that he was beginning to learn the quirks and oddities of the demon's personality. It was simply amazing that someone who was close to 400 years in age could be so immature. He had always thought that maturity came with time, but with Inuyasha, that proved not to be the case.  
  
The whole situation had been very amusing, and Kenshin had found himself laughing for the second time in over a year. It was amazing how good it felt to laugh. No one else had been able to make him laugh in such a long time, no one had even tried. But, after watching a few of Inuyasha's antics, Kenshin found he couldn't hold it back any longer; and as mad as the half demon had seemed about being laughed at, Kenshin sensed that he was really very pleased about it.  
  
He liked this man. For all of his gruffness and rudeness Inuyasha was kind and honest. Like Kenshin, Inuyasha defied appearances, and Kenshin had found himself telling the half demon things he had never told anyone else. Not even his Shishou. It was like he had found a long lost brother.  
  
Now, Inuyasha was off with a letter for Katsura, although how he planned on finding him was something Kenshin hadn't bothered to ask, he assumed it was some kind of demon magic. The letter explained where the Battousai was, and about his current condition and when he would be returning. Inuyasha had estimated that it would take approximately two to three days for Kenshin to recover, although he could be walking around by tomorrow night. Kenshin hadn't bothered to argue with that, he was still bleeding and as long as his body was still losing blood, he wouldn't be much good in a fight against the Shinsengumi. Even so, he was worried about Katsura and the other bodyguards; he hoped that they would lay low until Kenshin came back.  
  
In a strange sort of way, Kenshin was relieved to be off duty for a couple of days. He hadn't realized until now how out of sorts he had been. Sleep deprivation, among other things, had been causing him to lose concentration, evident by his latest encounter. He had not known that he could break down like that in front of other people, but the woman's resemblance to Tomoe, while not uncanny, had been still close enough to make him lose it; and he had lost it, not just in front of Inuyasha, but an entire team of ninjas. His weakness and lack of control was detrimental; if word got out on the street about it, there would be problems, not only in the morale of the Ishinshishi, but the skirmishes with the Shinsengumi and other related factions would increase ten-fold, which was something they could not deal with right now. No, as much as he didn't want to, he was going to have to take care of them, and as soon as possible.  
  
"Why aren't you sleeping?"  
  
Kenshin looked up to see Inuyasha in the doorway. How had he come in without Kenshin knowing? Now that he thought about it, the demon was there in the graveyard a long time before Kenshin realized it. And that first night in the alley, he hadn't felt Inuyasha's presence until he had been following him for a while. What was going on? It seemed like the half demon was able to overstep all of Kenshin's internal alarms without even trying. This was something that had never happened to him before. Even with Tomoe, he had still had a constant guard up, so why...?  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened when he realized that Inuyasha was now crouched right in front of his nose, a semi-worried/angry look on his face.  
  
"Oi, you okay?"  
  
Kenshin blinked, realizing that he must have been staring off into space.  
  
"...Yes."  
  
"Go to sleep, then."  
  
Kenshin just sat there, pausing before he spoke. "Katsura san?"  
  
Inuyasha smiled before settling himself against the wall to sleep. "He's fine, and he's glad to know you're okay too." He frowned a little bit, although his mouth did not lose its humorous edge. "You Ishinshishi people are really high strung though, you know."  
  
He didn't bother to elaborate, and after a few minutes Kenshin drifted off.  
-------  
  
~aw, now isn't that sweet.  
~Jeez, this thing is starting to get long. You know, I never really expected to go anywhere with this thing, but thanks to all of you, I haven't lost interest yet! Yay! So you can be expecting another chapter hopefully within the next week. Heee....  
  
---Green signing out. 


	5. Stained Red Sun

I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or Inuyasha. Although my alter ego says I do. We have long discussions about this. They usually end up with me beaten and broken on the floor and my alter ego laughing evilly. That is, until my alter ego realizes that it has just beaten itself up. Bwah, ha, ha, ha, hah! Sucker!  
  
---------  
  
Rurouni Inuyasha  
  
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Chapter 5: Stained Red Sun  
  
------  
  
Once again, there was blood on his blade.  
  
It was early morning in Kyoto. A fog gently swirled through streets and alleys, urged on by gentle breezes. Morning dew clung to the sakura blossoms, and a few birds had begun their song.   
  
A slender figure, barely discernable, darted in and out through the mist, glimpses of red hair flying, and light flashed from the glint of a katana.  
  
Red.  
  
Red was the essence of who he was. Red was the color of the blood that pumped through his veins, the color of his hair, the color of the scar on his cheek, the color of the liquid that dripped from his sword. Red was the color of his soul.  
  
Sometimes, Kenshin wondered. He wondered what his life would have been like if he had never agreed to become a shadow assassin. What would his life have been like if he had never joined the Ishinshishi, had never come to Kyoto. If he had never left his Shishou, had never even met Shishou. Who would he be if his family had never died? What would the world be like if he had never been born?   
  
With this bloody blade of his, could he ever even make a difference?  
  
At times like these it didn't seem so. All he seemed capable of doing was causing pain and grief. All he was, was a stain. A stain like the bloodstains he washed from his clothes; from his hands. A stain on the soul of the Ishinshishi. When this was all over…would they wash that stain out?  
  
How odd to realize that he didn't even really care. Maybe he was even looking forward to it. Maybe that way…everything would be all right. Everything that he had done…would be all right. Erased. Like it had never happened. Like he…had never happened.  
  
It was somehow comforting, to think that he would be taken care of. And then, he would be able to see Tomoe again, he would be able to follow her…. Oh, who was he kidding? He would never see Tomoe again; his soul was too stained for that; after his death he would go to hell, like he deserved….  
  
When this was all over, if he survived, which seemed less and less likely; what was he going to do with himself? Shishou had made it clear that he would never take him back. Death seemed like the only answer. Death was the only answer fitting for someone whose only skill was dispensing death. But Tomoe had died for him. She had died so he could live. Could he really throw away that gift that she had given him? What had she expected him to do anyway? What use was he? What on earth could he do, besides kill? How was he supposed to make up for everything that he had done?   
  
How?!  
  
---------  
  
Inuyasha woke up with a start. The kid! The kid was gone! He made a quick glance around the room. Sure enough, the kid's swords were gone as well. Inuyasha struck the floor angrily. Damn it! Damn that kid!  
  
"What did you expect from Kagome's reincarnation, you moron?" his more rational side asked him.  
  
"Oh, shut up," he told himself. That was one thing about living by yourself for so long, you began insulting yourself, and having nasty arguments that sometimes ended in blood. That's why many doctors prescribe human contact. Otherwise, you can just get…weird.  
  
Inuyasha grabbed his hat and left the room, intent on finding Kenshin. He was wary about it though, there were reasons he never went outside during the day, but this was an emergency; he had no choice.  
  
"That stupid kid!" Inuyasha thought when he found bloodstains on the stairs. What the hell did he think he was doing, going out with such wounds?!  
  
Inuyasha left the inn and rounded the corner, following Kenshin's scent, only to sigh in relief when he saw the kid walking towards him, seemingly unhurt.  
  
"You moron! Where were you?" Inuyasha blurted, rushing over to Kenshin. The kid calmly looked up at him, undisturbed.  
  
"Inuyasha san, I did not expect you to be up so early."  
  
"Don't change the subject!"  
  
Inuyasha grabbed for Kenshin's hand angrily. Kenshin swiftly tucked both hands up into his sleeves, and kept on walking calmly back to the inn.  
  
"There was something I needed to do."  
  
Inuyasha pointedly looked at Kenshin's gi, where a dark spot was slowly growing.  
  
"You're bleeding."  
  
At those words Kenshin paled, but quickly regained his composure.  
  
"It was important. I couldn't wait."  
  
They reached the inn and Inuyasha noticed that Kenshin had glanced around before going in, silently searching for enemies.  
  
At the stair, Kenshin had faltered, his incredible will and control over his body failing once he was invisible from prying eyes. Without a word, Inuyasha swept the boy up into his arms, carrying him to his room. Once inside, he unceremoniously deposited Kenshin onto his futon.  
  
"You need to rest."  
  
Kenshin nodded as he pulled his swords from his belt. Inuyasha grabbed some spare bandages and tossed them to him.  
  
What a stupid, stupid kid. Inuyasha smiled slightly despite himself. Stubborn, just like Kagome had been. He plopped himself down in his standard spot against the wall and watched as the kid gingerly tried to rewrap his wounds. How the hell had he been able to use his sword with that hole in his shoulder? How could he even think of fighting two days after having been stabbed in the chest? Stupid, stupid kid.  
  
Of course, now that he thought about it, hadn't Inuyasha himself done that many times? Fighting fights when he was grievously wounded, always pushing himself so hard. But it had been different for him, that was what he had had to do to survive. In a world where humans shunned you for being a demon, and demons hated you for your human mother, you had to put on a strong front. Show no weaknesses. That was the only rule he had lived by for many years. It had been a different world then.  
  
But as he watched the kid try to bandage painful looking wounds without so much as a flinch, as he saw the small, but many paper thin scars covering the boy's torso; Inuyasha realized that he had been seeing the situation from the point of view of an outsider, the point of view of someone who wasn't involved. He didn't care too much about the civil war that was going on, ultimately, it wouldn't effect him. It was a human affair, and while he was half human, the demon part of him wanted none of it. Governments had never made much sense to him, he didn't understand why people couldn't just be allowed to live their own lives the way they wanted to. Why should all these rules be placed upon them? It just didn't seem logical that one small group of people would rule over so many others. It all just seemed like a petty power struggle; or, perhaps humans were more territorial than he had previously thought? Even so, it seemed like a silly reason to kill each other over.  
  
"And somehow this kid, this innocent, has gotten thrown right into the middle of it," Inuyasha thought as he watched Kenshin who had finally managed to bandage his stomach and had now moved onto one of his shoulders. At that moment, Inuyasha wasn't really too sure he liked the charismatic Katsura he had met the night before. What kind of man would send someone like Kenshin out to mercilessly kill night after night? What kind of man could watch an innocent soul slowly die from the demands made upon it?  
  
No, not dying. Kenshin's soul was not dying. He was made of tougher stuff than that. His soul was only hardening; hardening into a thick protective shield to protect the truer bits of Kenshin's nature, and allowing him to become the killer he needed to be. That was what Inuyasha had seen that night, that was what he had glimpsed this morning; the battling of two separate natures within one mind.  
  
Kenshin needed to survive this war so that he could live peacefully, so he could repair the damage done to him. He needed a chance to be a real person; not a shadow, not a legend. And Inuyasha would do everything within his power make sure that he did. He would protect Kenshin to the last, like he had with Kagome…like he couldn't with Kagome.  
  
Kenshin would be his atonement. Perhaps if Inuyasha saved him, he could be forgiven for letting Kagome and the others die.  
  
Inuyasha looked over at Kenshin.  
  
"Oi, kid. You need some help with that?" he asked, referring to the sloppy bandaging job Kenshin had performed.  
  
Forgiven.  
  
-----  
  
Tomorrow. He would leave tomorrow.  
  
It was late afternoon; the second afternoon Kenshin had been here. It was too long. He had to get out of here. Everything he touched….  
  
Tomorrow. Yes, tomorrow. By then he would be able to make it back to his own inn. He could explain to Okami about his injuries and she would keep them a secret for him. Everything would be fine. Everything was fine. He had taken care of…them. It was no longer a problem. Now, all he needed was some time to recuperate, to get himself back up to speed. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any secret meetings for a while.  
  
It made him nervous. He didn't like being injured, it was too risky. It was too easy for your enemies to take advantage of your weakness; too easy for them to take away everything you've worked for.  
  
Kenshin shook his head. What had he been thinking that night? Just giving himself up to die so easily. He needed to live so he could protect Katsura; the other bodyguards could not do it on their own, they needed him. It wasn't pride that made him think this. It was the truth, he was needed; and while he was needed, he had to survive.   
  
When had he gotten so stupid? Of course, according to his Shishou he had always been stupid. But as of late he had been stupider than usual.  
  
"Why do you always take such risks!" Kazuo's words came floating back to him.  
  
Always…. To Kazuo he had always been that way. A risk-taker. Since before he had met Kazuo, he had been putting himself in more and more dangerous situations…. The answer had been in front of him the whole time.  
  
"I want to die."   
  
Across the room he noticed Inuyasha's ears poke up. So he was awake. Kenshin idly wondered how on earth he had been able to sneak out that morning.  
  
"Why?"  
  
Kenshin shrugged. "I just do."  
  
Inuyasha didn't move. "Where were you this morning?"  
  
"I told you, I had something I needed to do."  
  
"I smelled those ninjas from the other night on you."  
  
Kenshin stiffened. He had forgotten, Inuyasha was half 'dog' demon.  
  
Inuyasha nodded. "I thought so."  
  
Inwardly Kenshin bristled, although he allowed none of it to show on his face. Then he smirked, remembering something.  
  
"What did you mean by 'You Ishinshishi people are really high strung'?" (This part is dedicated to my reviewer Abby who wanted me to elaborate on Inuyasha's comment. I love you guys!)  
  
Inuyasha regarded him with a quizzical look on his face. "Huh?"  
  
"You said that last night."  
  
Inuyasha thought for a moment.  
  
"Oh," he said remembering. "It was actually kind of funny. This kid just attacked me when I asked to see Katsura. He said something like, 'you will treat Katsura san with more respect, you gaijin!' Then he pulled out his sword and started making all these wild swings at me. That kid had no class." Inuyasha scratched his head. "I'm not exactly sure what the big deal was." He shrugged. "High strung, like I said."  
  
Kenshin chuckled a little bit. "Did you catch his name?"  
  
Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah, Katsura came and broke us up. He called the kid something like 'Kalumako.'"   
  
Kenshin nodded. "I thought that sounded like Kazuo. He thinks that Katsura should be treated like a kami. He even gets on my case about it."  
  
Inuyasha snorted. "That kid needs to get a life."  
  
Kenshin smirked just a little. "You have to admit though, it would be a bit odd for a stranger to randomly show up asking for Katsura when no one but those on a 'need to know' basis even know where he is."  
  
Inuyasha nodded. "Yeah, I know. That's why I mentioned your name as soon as I saw Katsura. He just figured that I found out where he is from you."  
  
Kenshin regarded Inuyasha more seriously. "How did you find him? I never told you where he is."  
  
Inuyasha tapped his nose. "I smelled him on your clothes. And I smelled some others too. I figured that they'd all probably go to the same place, so I just found the scent again and followed it." He shrugged. "It was easy."  
  
Kenshin chuckled a bit. "It's a good thing that the Wolves of Mibu don't have as good of noses as you do, or we'd have been wiped out a long time ago."  
  
Inuyasha looked puzzled. "Why would they have noses as good as mine? They're just humans."  
  
"They're the 'Wolves' of Mibu? Wolves?" Noting Inuyasha's still puzzled look, Kenshin just gave up. "Never mind."  
  
Inuyasha just shrugged. "Well, I'm kinda hungry. You want anything?" he asked Kenshin, moving towards the door to the room. Kenshin shook his head.  
  
"Keh, no wonder you're so skinny, you never eat anything," Inuyasha remarked as he walked out the door to go get the food.  
  
Kenshin stonily looked down at his lap. The thought of food made him nauseous. Was it really his fault that everything tended to taste like blood?  
  
Yes.  
  
He sighed, and laid back down, staring at the ceiling. Eventually he began to see pictures in the circles in the wood. Ah, there was a flower, a cat, oh, and that one looked like a book. It had been a long time since he had read a book. Maybe he should read one again soon. What was that Shishou used to say about books? Useless rubbish that is utterly priceless. Or something like that, it hadn't made much sense to him when his Shishou had first said it, but now when he thought about it he understood it somewhat. A book, something made of ink and wood. Flimsy, its only practical use was for firewood. Essentially useless. What made a book priceless was the thought that went into it, the soul of whomever had written it. It had always amazed him that his rough, uncouth Shishou, could say and think about such things. Of course he was a hermit that had been living on his own for a long time, with nothing better to do than practice his swordsmanship and think.  
  
Hmmm…that one sort of looked like the blade of a knife. Or the blade of a katana….  
  
~Blood ran down his katana, dripping into the snow. The spot of blood grew with each drip. Drip, drip, drip. A circle of red against white. The sun. The blood red sun.~  
  
Oh, and that one looked like a face, a smiling face. A kind face. How many of those had he seen lately?  
  
~Drip, drip, drip. A vague memory of stumbling down an alley, blood dripping from his clothes. His blood? No, someone else's. A woman looking outside her window caught sight of him. A witness.  
  
"Young man!" She called from the doorway. Kenshin stopped, subtly reaching for his blade.  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
No…what? Oh, the blood. She thought it was his blood. Silly woman, the hitokiri battousai does not bleed. Demons don't bleed.  
  
He nodded to her, smiling briefly to reassure her before trudging on. She must have seen something in his smile, in his eyes, because she retreated quickly back through the door.  
  
He probably should kill her.  
  
No, not tonight, no more tonight.  
  
It was his third assignment that week.~  
  
----------  
  
Inuyasha missed meat. He hadn't had it in a while, these humans tended not to eat it or serve it anywhere. The last time he had eaten meat was a couple of days before he had come to Kyoto. He had caught a rabbit, and now, just thinking about it made him salivate.  
  
Nice, juicy, red meat, roasting over an open fire. Or raw was good sometimes, too. Inuyasha licked his lips. Yeah, the soup that he had just eaten a while ago had nothing on meat. Poor Kenshin, the kid had probably never eaten meat; probably didn't even know what he was missing.  
  
Oh, well, soup was probably better for the kid in his current situation anyway.  
  
Inuyasha entered his inn, easily balancing a pot of soup in one hand as he made his way up the stairs. He had gotten the pot of soup from a kind woman who lived just down the block. He had met her his first night in town, and he had gone out of his way to ingratiate himself to her; somehow women seemed to like you better when you were nice to them, imagine that! It was always a good thing to have a couple of friends around. You never knew when you might need them. And her cooking had definitely come in handy. Inuyasha had a sneaking suspicion that it wouldn't be the best thing to take the kid out to eat at this point in time; what with common knowledge of the battousai's physical description floating around, and the fact that the kid was still severely injured. And the fact that the kid had reopened his wounds this morning when he had decided to go out for a jaunt.  
  
What a moron.  
  
"Oi, baka," Inuyasha opened the door to their room. "I've got food for ya."  
  
There was no response.  
  
"Hmmmm?" Inuyasha inquired as he set down the food and took off his hat.  
  
"You asleep or something?" He glanced around the room, finding Kenshin fast asleep on his futon. Thank God, he wasn't gone. Inuyasha didn't know if he could handle that again.  
  
"Well, at least he's getting some rest," Inuyasha thought to himself as he watched the boy sleep. "Another couple of days, and he should be out of here." Inuyasha smirked. "The runt heals pretty fast for a human."  
  
Inuyasha walked to the window to watch the fading red sun set. It was strange, but for some reason he felt like he was forgetting something.  
  
Hmmm…no moon tonight.  
  
….  
  
Oh, shit.  
  
---------------------------  
  
A/N:  
~Inuyasha is an anarchist! Yay! A nice contrast to Kenshin who is a…communist, I guess. Oh, I get it! Red Kenshin! Ha ha ha, Watsuki san is a funny man.  
~Actually I got the red thingy at the beginning from another story: Kendo no go by Akai Kitsune. I read it about a week ago, and I've had that red symbolism stuff running through my head ever since.  
~Stay tuned next week for another exciting chapter of Rurouni Inuyasha! Chapter 6: Interlude II: Kenshin.  
  
---Green the bean 


	6. Interlude II: Kenshin

I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.  
  
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Rurouni Inuyasha  
  
-----  
  
Chapter 6: Interlude II: Kenshin  
  
-----  
  
As Kenshin made his way through the forest surrounding his Shishou's home, he wondered what he was getting himself into.  
  
After six years, he was leaving.  
  
He could hardly remember what his life was like before his Shishou had taken him in. His Shishou, Hiko Seijuro, who was the 13th Successor to the mysterious and powerful Hiten Mitsurugi technique. The man who had taught him everything he knew about sword fighting. The imposing man, for whom nothing he did had ever been good enough. The man who had driven Kenshin to become stronger; who had driven him beyond anything that Kenshin had ever thought he could do; and then drove him harder. Kenshin had always thought that he would never do anything to displease his Shishou, not on purpose, anyway. But here he was.  
  
Leaving.  
  
Idly he wondered if he would ever see his Shishou again. No, probably not. Hiko thought he was a disgrace and had told him so, announcing that he would never teach Kenshin the succession techniques, and that if he ever came back he would kill him.   
  
So, Kenshin was on his own. Or at least he would be until he found a patriot faction to join. He had a vague idea of where to look; a villager he had come across lost in Shishou's woods had mentioned that a group of patriots, the kihei-tai, were hanging about the village and causing a ruckus. The villager had gone on to talk about how the movement had no hope and that the kihei-tai would "all be wiped out in a matter of months, good riddance." Curious, Kenshin had asked about the "movement." When he did, the villager had looked at him in amazement. "What do you mean, 'what is the movement?' Have you been holed up on this mountain for the last five years?!" To that Kenshin had nodded, saying, "More or less, yes." The villager had sighed, exasperated, but since Kenshin had had the good nature to guide him back home through the forest, he humored him, and Kenshin had found out that the "movement" was actually a revolt against the Tokugawa dynasty, and that the patriots were promising to remove the caste system if they won. That meant that everyone would be equal....  
  
Over the years, whenever Kenshin had gone to the nearby village with his Shishou, he had observed the serfs working in the fields. Some of them had seemed happy, smiling up at Kenshin when he walked by; but he soon found out that most of them were in all actuality quite miserable. They were paid nothing for the back-breaking work that they performed, many of them were not given enough food to feed their starving families, and the samurais, just because they were in a class above, were allowed to do with them what they would, which in many cases involved beating, punishing, and raping the serfs.  
  
As he observed, Kenshin began to understand that this would have been his fate if his parents had never died. He had been someone else's property, sold off by the lord who owned him to slave traders the first chance the lord got. Why? Because as just a child, Kenshin was useless; he couldn't work, and there was no one left to work for him, and it was the lord's right because Kenshin, or rather, Shinta, hadn't been of any worth to him. But the lord got a good price for him anyway because to the slave traders he was valuable because he was…unusual.  
  
Kenshin shook his head as he made his way down the mountain. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that people could own other people. It wasn't fair that an entire class of people were miserable and dying while another class ruled happily over them, ignorant of and not caring about the plight of the peasant class.  
  
That was what had convinced him finally to do what he was doing now. If he could help, in some way, in any way, those people that he had seen suffering at the hands of others, he would do what he could. No, he didn't have any illusions that he would make a huge difference, he knew that his skill with the sword wasn't much, at least not compared to his master's, but at least he had some skill, and maybe that would be just enough to make a small difference. And as he got older, Kenshin was sure that he would get better, because even if Shishou wouldn't be around to train him, Kenshin felt that he knew just enough to continue his training. He had learned pretty much everything that his Shishou had had to teach him, everything except the succession techniques, which Hiko probably wouldn't have taught him for a while yet, and now, never. All he needed to do now was perfect the techniques he did know, and if he could do that, perhaps he could be a decent swordsman, in spite of his size.  
  
It was around noon by the time Kenshin made it into the small village. Now all he had to do was find a member of this "kihei-tai." That shouldn't be too hard, considering the suspicious glances he was getting from the villagers. They were probably suspicious of all strangers, especially strangers with swords. Kenshin breathed a sigh of relief when he remembered how worried he had been that morning when he realized that his Shishou might not let him take his sword. Would the kihei-tai take him if he didn't have anything to fight with? But luckily, his Shishou had let him keep his sword, though whether it was out of sympathy or simply forgetfulness, Kenshin wasn't sure. He was leaning towards forgetfulness though.  
  
Kenshin glanced around. Hopefully a kihei-tai member would walk by soon. He was hungry, having not eaten since last night, and he didn't have any money. That was assuming that the kihei-tai would take him in, which they might not. They might just take one look at him and say, "Get lost, kid. We only want real fighters here." What would he do if that happened? He didn't know, he would just have to figure out some way to prove himself before they turned him away.  
  
Kenshin glanced up as felt a larger than normal ki come into the town. Could that be one of them? He stood up and went in the direction of the ki signal, hoping to track down the owner. He walked around a hut and there he saw the man that the large ki belonged to. He was fairly young, in his mid twenties or so. His hair was disheveled and his eyes had a dangerous glint to them. Kenshin sighed in relief. This man must belong to the kihei-tai. This village could not have produced such a man. Kenshin watched as the man let himself into an inn. After a few moments, Kenshin followed.   
  
Wham!  
  
Thunk!  
  
As soon as Kenshin had entered the inn a wooden club came flying down at his head. Without even a thought Kenshin brought up his sword, easily slicing through the wood, sending the two halves flying to opposite sides of the inn. (sorry, I couldn't help myself, I just had to throw this in. If you don't know what I'm babbling about, go see "Seven Samurai")  
  
A split second passed before Kenshin processed what had actually happened. Someone had tried to club him? He looked in direction where the club had come from, and to his surprise he saw the man that he had followed from outside. To Kenshin's further surprise the man was grinning like a crazed maniac.  
  
"I thought so," the man said.  
  
  
  
Kenshin raised an eyebrow, sensing that he had just passed some kind of test.  
  
The man took his hand off the hilt of his sword.  
  
"I'm Takasugi Shinsaku, leader of the kihei-tai."   
  
Kenshin immediately brightened. This was perfect! Not only had he found a member of the kihei-tai, he had found their leader!  
  
Kenshin bowed to him. "This humble one's name is Kenshin. I come from the mountains, that I do."  
  
Takasugi scratched his chin. "Just Kenshin, huh?" Kenshin nodded. Takasugi thought for a moment, then looked outside the window, watching the villagers go by.  
  
"Hmmmm.... Red hair...discovered in a village.... Himura!" Takasugi nodded to himself, "Yes, Himura Kenshin. It has kind of a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" (um, I think I read somewhere that Himura means "Red Village." Yeah...ahem.)  
  
Stunned, Kenshin could only stare up at Takasugi in astonishment. A full name? For him?  
  
"This humble one does not know how to thank you, Takasugi-dono."  
  
Takasugi regarded him quizzically. "For what?" he asked. "The name? Oh, that was nothing. If you're going to be in my kihei-tai, you're going to need a full name."  
  
Kenshin's eyes widened. This Takasugi wanted him in his kihei-tai? Just like that? Kenshin felt something release in his chest, as if he had been holding in an expectation of rejection. It was a tremendous relief to know that he hadn't given up his only home and family, granted his family consisted of only one person, of the last six years for nothing.  
  
"Come on," Takasugi gestured to him. "I'll take you to our training grounds." He stopped briefly to pick up a couple of jugs of sake, then turned and walked out the door of the inn. Kenshin followed, excitement and nervousness fighting for domination in his stomach. He was going to be in the kihei-tai! But would he be good enough? Would Takasugi-dono expect too much of him?  
  
"You know, Himura," Takasugi began as they walked. "You don't have to be so formal." Noticing Kenshin's confusion at his statement he went on. "I mean the 'sessha's and 'dono's and 'de gozaru's."   
  
Kenshin nodded though he was a little perturbed by this. It was strange to him; his Shishou had always told him to be respectful to his elders. Was this some sort of patriot thing?   
  
Apparently Takasugi had noticed Kenshin's discomfort because he said, "Just call me Takasugi, or Takasugi san if you have to. 'Takasugi dono' is just a little too old fashioned. And no one says 'sessha' or 'de gozaru' anymore except for fanciful old farts."  
  
Oh. Well, then...Kenshin guessed he wouldn't be using those words anymore. Suddenly an image of a doddering old Hiko popped into his mind and Kenshin repressed a snicker. Imagine, Shishou described as a "fanciful old fart." Heh, heh, Kenshin wondered what Hiko would think of that.   
  
By the time they reached the camp Kenshin had managed to curb his grinning to only once in a while. Strangely enough, he felt proud of himself. He was out on his own. He was doing what HE wanted to do, not what Shishou wanted him to do. And for the most part, he was being treated like an adult.  
  
"Oi, Takasugi! What's with the runt?"  
  
Kenshin heard snickering coming from his left. He turned to look at the kihei-tai members who were currently mocking him, mimicking the way Kenshin walked and stooping over so they looked short. So much for being treated like an adult.   
  
Takasugi began laughing with them, and for a brief moment Kenshin felt betrayed until Takasugi said, "I wouldn't recommend calling him a runt when I'm not around, Hideki. This "runt" could probably pummel you into the ground without even breaking a sweat." With those words Takasugi clapped Kenshin on the back hard enough to make him step forward a couple of steps and then walked off, leaving Kenshin alone with the other kihei-tai members.  
  
While Takasugi walked away to do whatever kihei-tai leaders do with three jugs of sake, Kenshin couldn't help but acknowledge his growing respect for the man. He had taken in a virtually unknown swordsman and had defended him against the taunts of his men, men whom he had probably known for years.   
  
Speaking of which, as soon as Takasugi was out of earshot and out of sight, Hideki, the ringleader of the imposing looking group of kihei-tai ruffians, drew his sword menacingly, and waved it around at Kenshin.  
  
"I don't care what Takasugi says, you look like a weak little woman to me." Hideki grinned, waiting for Kenshin's response.  
  
All right. Kenshin knew he was small; after living the past six years with someone who was literally the size of a horse, how could he not? But, since he was carrying a sword and not dressed in a kimono, he didn't think he particularly looked like a woman. But, it probably wouldn't do to get in a fight the first day he was here, regardless of what Takasugi had said earlier; so Kenshin decided that it would be best to just let it go, and began walking further into the camp.  
  
Suddenly, he felt Hideki's fighting ki soar. Kenshin whirled just in time to block Hideki's sword, a small grimace crossing his face, not out of exertion, for all his brawn, Hideki was actually pathetically weak when compared to Kenshin's shishou, but out of anger. What was with all the ambushes today? After all the stress of the day, what with leaving Hiko and going out on his own for the first time, it was just too much. Kenshin narrowed his eyes at Hideki, amber flames beginning to kindle in violet irises. Hideki's eyes widened, and he began to realize that what Takasugi had said earlier about Kenshin being able to pummel him into the ground with no sweat was quite true.  
  
By this point, a crowd had gathered around the two fighters to watch Hideki beat the crap out of the newcomer, as was the custom whenever Takasugi showed up with a new recruit. They cheered and whistled, impatient to see the "pretty boy" smashed to a pulp. However, the catcalls died down once the spectators began to realize that something was wrong.  
  
The sight resembled a reinactment of "David and Goliath." The giant, Hideki, strained futilely against the implacable Kenshin, who stood his ground with no effort at all. Then, in the blink of an eye, Kenshin had pushed back against Hideki's sword and sent Hideki flying through the air to land several yards away.  
  
That had been deceptively easy. Would all of his fights go that way? No, that was impossible; not everyone could be that weak. But as Kenshin glanced around at the grown men staring slack-jawed at him, he began to have his doubts. He had been told ever since he was just a kid that he was a mediocre swordfighter at best. But a good one? Never. But judging from these men's expressions, it was obvious that they thought what Kenshin had just done was extraordinary. Did that mean that he was actually a...good swordsman?  
  
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Several weeks had gone by when Takasugi's friend and compatriot Katsura Kogoro came for a visit. By this point, Kenshin found that he was highly respected amongst the kihei-tai, and for the first time in his life he was treated as if his opinion meant something. While it was refreshing and great and everything, this newfound respect was somewhat...disconcerting. It was almost relieving when Katsura's soldiers treated him like he was ten years old.  
  
"Ha, ha, the kid brought his own sword," one of them said to his friends while Kenshin went up to take his turn at striking the target. "Give it a try, kid," he said to Kenshin, amused with himself. "I'll give you a ryo if you cut it in half."  
  
Kenshin quietly regarded the target for moment, then proceded to smoothly slice it in half with one stroke, leaving the soldier speechless.   
  
"One ryo."  
  
It was just too easy.  
  
Later on that evening at dinner Takasugi had Kenshin meet Katsura, saying that the Choshuu leader wanted to talk to him about something important. What surprised Kenshin, was that the first question out of Katsura's mouth was what Kenshin's sword style was.  
  
"I use the Hiten Mitsurugi style, Katsura san."  
  
Katsura pondered this for a moment before speaking. "So that was the Hiten Mitsurgui ryu. I've heard of it, but I didn't know it truly existed...." he paused, considering how to begin. "But let me ask you something. Have you ever killed a man with this Hiten Mitsurugi school?"  
  
Kenshin shook his head. "No." What was Katsura san getting at?  
  
"Do you think you could?"  
  
Kenshin considered this for a moment. "If with my own dirty sword and the lives I take, I could pave the way for a new era in which all can live in peace--"  
  
Katsura interrupted him. "I see. We're leaving for Kyoto first thing in the morning. Take a room upstairs and rest."   
  
Kyoto? He was going to Kyoto?  
  
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A/N:  
  
~I am so sorry for taking longer than usual to get this chapter out. But I actually have an excuse! I was busy being sunburned (damn Irish blood, no matter how much sunscreen I use, aaggh!), while training to become a lifeguard, so I can save all the unfortunate souls who almost drown in the waterslides, wavepools, etc. at Waterworld. Bleh….don't worry, I didn't have any fun.  
  
~Also, I am aware that I am a moron, but I like to pretend I'm not one, so if I got any of my facts wrong, please correct me so I can fix it and continue fooling all of you who haven't seen through my ruse yet.  
  
~And thank you so much for all the reviews! I feel so special! He, he, he, he, he!!! 


	7. And the World Goes 'Round Again

I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or Inuyasha.  
  
6/28/03: further proof that I am a moron, I fixed some glaring tense mistakes at the end of the chapter. You'd almost think that I never took an English class, jeez...  
  
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A/N: Oh and just a note. Kenshin is still completely oblivious to the fact that he is the reincarnation of Kagome. Yep. Oh, and this gets just a little shounen-ai-ish. I know I said I wasn't going to go anywhere with that, and I'm not. It's just Inuyasha wondering how's he's supposed to react to Kenshin being the reincarnation of Kagome, very mild; though if you were in his situation, wouldn't you wonder? So, if you can't hack any shounen-ai at all, you probably shouldn't read this. Kay! On with the drivel!  
  
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Rurouni Inuyasha  
  
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Chapter 7: And the World Goes Round Again  
  
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What did it mean to be human? Was being human a matter of the heart as Kagome had always told him? Or was it just a state of being, the body you inhabited? Because for the first time Inuyasha realized that he had thought of himself as human for some time now. Once it had been the other way around, he had called himself a demon, disregarding his other heritage. But now, as he stared into the moonless sky, wondering how he was going to explain his current condition to the human sleeping on the futon behind him, he realized that for once, the change didn't seem so alien to him. It seemed...natural. Like this was something that was supposed to happen every month, which it was, but that had never been something he had ever accepted. Until now, that is.  
  
"Why?" he wondered. "Why am I so different now?" The answer was simple enough. In fact it only consisted of one word. Or a name. Kagome. Kikyou. Technically, since they shared the same soul, they were the same person. Just, it hadn't seemed that way since they inhabited two different bodies at the same moment in time. Reincarnation could be tricky that way. Either way, Kikyou and Kagome had both come into his life, forever changing it. He finally got to see this so-called humanity he had always heard about. It had been a bewildering sight, since at that time Inuyasha had hardly ever seen any kindness, and when he had it had never been directed at him. Kikyou had been the first person he could clearly remember ever treating him like he was a real person, except for one other woman, and she had been his mother. Then...Kikyou had betrayed him...and oh god, how that hurt. Even now, after all this time, after he learned that she had been tricked into it by Naraku, it still hurt like hell. Then Kagome had come, and he got his second chance. At least, that was what he had thought until Kikyou came back. That was when everything started to get confusing.  
  
Speaking of confusing.... Inuyasha glanced over at the young red-head still caught in the web of sleep. What was the meaning of their meeting? How was he supposed to react to all of this? The soul of the one person he had ever loved was now in the body of someone who was...well...a man. This was very perplexing to say the least. If Kenshin was a woman it wouldn't be an issue, Inuyasha would just sweep him off his feet with his incredible charm...or just run off with him and not let him go until he realized they were perfect for each other. But regardless of how he could appear at first glance, Kenshin wasn't a woman, he was male, and...aggh! fate could be such a jackass sometimes! What was he supposed to do? Love Kenshin in...that way? The soul was the same, and yes, Inuyasha could admit to himself that he did love Kenshin, but not really in a romantic way. Not like how he felt about Kagome or Kikyou. It was completely different, purely platonic. The way he felt towards Kenshin was more the way a father feels for a son, or the way a brother feels toward a brother. But then...he would see a glimpse of Kagome in the kid and Inuyasha's insides would go all topsy turvy. What was wrong with him?   
  
"Uggh."  
  
Inuyasha turned around slowly to see a bed-groggled Kenshin. It was strange; the kid looked positively...cute; his hair sticking out in all directions, sleep drooping his eyes. Then suddenly Kenshin's eyes cleared as he focused on Inuyasha. He didn't even know the kid had moved until he felt a katana blade at his throat.  
  
"Tell me who you are before I slit your throat."  
  
Inuyasha sighed. Oh, great, he hadn't even considered that Kenshin wouldn't recognize him. But it made sense of course; his hair was a completely different color, he didn't have his doggy ears, or his claws, or fangs, and his ki probably felt completely different. How was he going to convince Kenshin that he wasn't some intruder, but actually Inuyasha?  
  
Kenshin's sword pressed further into his flesh, drawing blood. "Well?"  
  
Inuyasha raised his clawless hands in surrender. "I'll tell you if you get that sword away from my neck."  
  
Kenshin paused a moment before removing his blade, as if considering whether or not to take the risk. Inuyasha turned around and faced Kenshin who had an odd look on his face. He sighed again.  
  
"I know you're not going to believe this, but I figure I might as well give it a try anyway," Inuyasha paused, trying to predict how Kenshin would react. Everything was always so much harder when you couldn't smell people's emotions. Why did this have to happen now? Just when Kenshin was starting to trust him?! Inuyasha looked out the window again, attempting to see the street below, but couldn't clearly because of his feeble, human eyes.   
  
"I'm your friend, Inuyasha."  
  
Silence. Kenshin wasn't saying anything. This could be a good sign. He wasn't telling Inuyasha that there could be no way he could be who he said he was, but then again, Kenshin wasn't exactly agreeing with him either. Maybe he was just debating on where to skewer his sword through Inuyasha's body. Oh, well, Inuyasha had lived a pretty long time anyway; now would be just as good a time as any to go. After waiting a few moments for Kenshin to either say something, or to feel cold steel slice through his body; Inuyasha couldn't take it anymore and decided that the suspense was killing him so he cautiously turned around. To his surprise Kenshin wasn't pointing a sword at him anymore. In fact, Kenshin wasn't even standing behind him. In fact, Kenshin wasn't even in the room. Sometime in the last couple of moments the kid had decided to just up and leave, without even so much as a good-bye. The nerve.  
  
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His actions were just as perplexing to Kenshin as they had been for Inuyasha. It hadn't taken him very long to realize that the human intruder in Inuyasha's room was no intruder at all. As soon as he had begun speaking, though it was less gruff, Kenshin had recognized the voice, and even though as a human, Inuyasha didn't move as smoothly or gracefully as the regular Inuyasha did, he still used the same gestures and other odd quirks that only Inuyasha used. As a shadow assassin, trained to notice any near imperceptible weaknesses in his enemy, he couldn't help but notice this. The clincher came when the man admitted he was Inuyasha, and then Kenshin hadn't even waited around for an explanation, but left the room as silently and quickly as he was prone to, considering his former occupation. Now, thinking back, Kenshin wasn't sure why he had done that, but at that moment it had just made sense. He had just had to get out of there.   
  
It was time for him to be moving on anyway, he couldn't afford for Inuyasha to get involved in Ishinshishi affairs. What if Katsura san decided that Inuyasha would just make the perfect shadow assassin? Which undoubtedly he would once he found out Inuyasha was a demon; Inuyasha wouldn't have been able to keep it a secret for very long. Eventually someone would have pulled off his hat, or seen his teeth, or rumors would have circulated, kami knows how they circulated about the Battousai himself, and he wasn't even a demon! And Kenshin was fairly sure that Inuyasha would have decided to tag along with him; for some reason the demon seemed to be quite attached to him and would probably want to protect him or something. As if the Hitokiri Battousai needed protection! Or deserved it for that matter.  
  
Kenshin chuckled ironically to himself as he turned a corner, purposely taking a roundabout and intricate way to one of the Ishinshishi safe houses that Inuyasha wouldn't know about. It was strange; a lot of the people he meet seemed to want to protect him, that is, until they got to know him. Then they'd shy away from him, or try to betray him, or whisper about him....  
  
"Himura san!"   
  
Or latch onto him for strange and mystifying personal reasons.   
  
Kenshin grimaced imperceptibility as he watched the excitable Ishinshishi soldier run at him, a mixture of anger and relief warring for domination on his face.   
  
Karamaki Kazuo had always been a bit of a puzzle for Kenshin. Why did he even bother when so many before him had already given up hope? Didn't he realize that Kenshin was just not a sociable sort of guy? Not the kind of guy you made friends with? The same thing with Inuyasha, though at least he was a demon...half demon.  
  
That had been so strange, seeing Inuyasha as a human. He had looked...normal, well, relatively normal at least, the violet eyes were a bit unusual for a human, though not unheard of. Kenshin himself had violetish eyes, or at least he once had. But then again he had flaming red hair as well, which was certainly unusual in of itself, and in most cases had overshadowed the fact that his eyes were also a strange color.  
  
For some reason the new development in Inuyasha's appearance had made Kenshin angry. Maybe it was the fact that even though Inuyasha was a demon of all things, there were still times when he would be able to fit in with no problem at all. And that was something Kenshin could never do. Everything about him seemed to scream, Look at Me! Everything; from his hair to his eyes, to his height, to his ability with a sword....  
  
"Himura san!" Karamaki's irritated voice interrupted his thoughts. Kenshin lifted his head to look Kazuo in the eyes, very aware of the anger within his own. Surprisingly, though not very, this didn't seem to deter Karamaki in the slightest.  
  
"Where have you been? The men have been in an uproar over your disappearance! The only news we got was from that strange friend of yours, who in my opinion is nothing other than an untrustworthy street punk."   
  
Hmmm...Kenshin raised an eyebrow. Did Karamaki's voice contain a note of jealousy? Imagine! People clamoring to be the Hitokiri Battousai's best friend. What was the world coming to?  
  
Kazuo continued, "Who would have been able to tell if he was telling the truth or not!" He lowered his voice, "Frankly, Himura san, everybody was convinced you were dead."  
  
Kenshin shrugged, what did he care? If you thought about it, what did anyone care? The Hitokiri Battousai is dead. Perhaps people would wonder whether they should be sad that there wasn't someone to clean up after them, or glad that they wouldn't have to deal with him anymore. However, it seemed that Karamaki cared, for who knew what reason, because he became angry at Kenshin's shrug.  
  
"Aarrgghh!!" Kazuo screamed, pulling out his sword and flying towards Kenshin. Kenshin easily dodged the attack and continued on his way towards the front door of the safe house. He hoped that Karamaki would not attack him again, it was pure stupidity to draw attention to one of the safe houses that the Bafuku had not discovered yet.  
  
"How...!" Kazuo exhaled furiously.  
  
Kenshin listened to Kazuo's harsh breathing a few moments before stopping. He listened as the other man regained his composure, sheathed his sword and caught up to him. They entered the safe house in silence, nodding acknowledgements to the people who were letting them stay within their home; a risky venture considering how unpopular Kenshin in particular was at the moment with Japan's shaky government.  
  
Only once they were in the privacy of their own compartments did Kazuo convey the information he had waited two days to deliver.  
  
"Katsura san wants to meet with you tonight to discuss an assignment."  
  
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That damned brat! How dare he! How DARE he!  
  
Inuyasha threw furniture around his room for the better part of an hour. He wasn't exactly sure why he was so angry, but at the moment he felt a very strong urge to go out and kill something. Preferably young little hitokiri who went around calling themselves "Battousai."  
  
Damn his current human frailty! If it wasn't for that, the stupid kid would never have been able to get away...not that Inuyasha was keeping him there or anything. No really, the kid could have left at any time...Inuyasha just wanted to know about it first...and wanted to make sure that the kid was all the way recovered...and maybe just a extra few months after that just to be safe.... Oh who was he kidding? It was just like that thing Kagome had said to him once. What was it again? Something about him being half DOG demon and having an overdeveloped sense of territory. Inuyasha winced as he remembered her pointing to every single person in their group and saying, "You think this is yours, and this is yours, and this is yours..." Sango and Miroku had tried not to laugh at him; Shippou didn't even bother, the inconsiderate runt. His dog demon heritage was just a big joke to them. And Kagome had just smiled at him in this infuriating superior way. Kagome and her dumb knowledge from the future. What a bunch of quacks, those future people. But even then, he had realized she was right. That was why when he had felt the need to go kill something, he had just brought it back for dinner. Like a good, faithful, puppy dog, tamed by the wonders of man. Keh. But even so, even with all the torment he had put up with from them, it had all been good-natured torment, and they had all still been his family. HIS family. His.  
  
When you sat back and thought about it, it was sort of strange that he had this territorial instinct even when he was in his human form. Maybe it was just a personality thing after all.  
  
Either way, within a half hour of that Inuyasha had hit the streets; not necessarily looking for Kenshin, but he was definitely looking for something. And sure enough, he found it.  
  
A couple of minutes past four in the morning was when Inuyasha found trouble, or to put it more accurately, when trouble found him.  
  
Inuyasha had been stalking angrily through the alleys of Kyoto, mumbling incoherently about dumb brats and dumb women, and about how no! even though he was a dog demon he wasn't necessarily a dog. This can be explained more comprehensibly by noting that Inuyasha had tried the "sake experiment" again just a few hours earlier. Needless to say it had taken much less sake to get him drunk than it had the previous time, a given considering he was now human.  
  
"Oi! You there!"  
  
Inuyasha slumped against the alley wall and quietly regarded the disembodied voice speaking to him. Was it God? Had Kami finally noticed him? Well, it was about fucking time! Then his eyes focused and he noticed a superior looking, snotty Wolf of Mibu looking down at him.  
  
"Oh, I thought you might be the Battousai, but I can see now that you're just a good for nothing, drunk, small fry. But since you're carrying a sword, and judging from your farmer's garb, you cannot belong to any samurai sect, I suppose I will have to take care of you."  
  
Keh, what was it with all these people who thought they were better than him, huh?  
  
He didn't even bother pushing himself off the wall. "Ah, fuck you."  
  
For some reason the Shinsengumi smiled at this. "You have no respect for authority, I see." He unsheathed his sword.  
  
With a growl, Inuyasha pushed himself off the wall, unsheathing his own, to all appearances useless, sword.  
  
At this the Wolf of Mibu full-out laughed. Inuyasha simply smirked, because he was beginning to feel the effects of the sake draining away.  
  
"So you're a Wolf of Mibu, huh?" He spit on the ground. "It fits. Wolves have always been wimpy in my opinion."  
  
Behind Inuyasha, the sun had begun to rise.  
  
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A few hours earlier, on the other side of Kyoto....  
  
"Katsura san?" Kenshin had entered the backroom of a sake house just down the street from the inn where he had once stayed as a shadow hitokiri. In his opinion, this was not a very good location to have a meeting, but then again, bodyguards and assassins were meant to only follow orders, not give them, so Kenshin kept his mouth shut about it.  
  
"Himura san," Katsura acknowledged him. "How is your health?"  
  
"I am fine, sir."  
  
Katsura nodded. "Good, because I will need you to attend a meeting with me as my bodyguard in Suzu-Ya in a couple of days."  
  
Kenshin considered this thoughtfully. "Sir, Suzu-Ya is--"  
  
"I know," Katsura cut him off. "Suzu-Ya has very few escape routes." He sighed. "It was not my decision, but Saigo-san's to hold the meeting there." He looked at Kenshin. "This meeting is very important to the future of the Revolution. With an alliance with Saigo we may actually have a chance in toppling the Tokugawa regime." He paused, a troubled look in his eyes.  
  
"Perhaps it will be all right, it's a move that would be unexpected by the Shogunate. But that is why I need you there, as an extra insurance, just in case the Shogunate do find out where the meeting is being held."  
  
Kenshin nodded. "Hai. I will come with you as your bodyguard."  
  
Katsura nodded back. "Good. We will meet back here in two days."  
  
With those words Kenshin bowed to Katsura, stood up and left the room, emerging moments later out into the night.  
  
---------  
  
Two years before, in Otsu...  
  
Kenshin sat in the middle of a room in the house that he had shared with Tomoe, staring at the flickering of the fire.  
  
"I think and I think and I can't understand. Why...why would she...Tomoe..."  
  
The wind ruffled the pages of Tomoe's diary, which was sitting open on a table. It caught Kenshin's attention.  
  
Tomoe's...diary...  
  
He reached for it and began reading a random entry.  
  
~April 4th  
  
  
  
Today we received word that Kiyosato Akira had been killed. Though I can hardly believe it, I am filled with regret that I did not stop him from leaving. Now...~  
  
Kenshin sets the book down for a moment. So her fiancé's name was Kiyosato. It sounded strangely familiar...  
  
~A man lies on the ground reaching for something only he can see. He opens his mouth to say his last words.  
  
"To..mo..e..."~  
  
At this memory Kenshin completely dropped the diary. It was he who killed him, he was the one who killed her fiancé, the one who had stolen her happiness from her! Tomoe...  
  
"Your misfortune in killing her fiancé. Her misfortune in falling in love with you. It was just two pieces of very bad luck. It's not your fault. I heard all about it. I've already sent someone for the traitor."  
  
Kenshin turned to see a travel weary Katsura standing in the doorway.  
  
"So I'm being fired."  
  
Katsura paused before speaking. "No...you must continue to wield your word for us. The patriot-hunting in the capital has grown worse. If no one stands up to them, total destruction is inevitable. Himura, you must protect the patriots as a mobile attacker. It's cruel of me to ask you, but there is no one else I can ask this of. I want you to make your heart bloodthirsty and wield the sword that soars the heavens."  
  
Kenshin was silent, even when some of the village kids suddenly burst in through the door, startling Katsura.  
  
"Can you come play with us?" they asked Kenshin who only shook his head with a ghost of a smile on his face.   
  
The faces of the children fell. "Not today either?" one said, then brightened. "We're going to fly kites! Even though it's snowing." With that, they rushed back out the door to go play.  
  
Katsura turned to leave as well. "I see I'm interrupting. I'll come again tomorrow."  
  
Kenshin got up, tucking Tomoe's diary into his sleeve. "I understand. If I abandon the sword now, all the lives I've taken will be for nothing. Tomoe taught me the many small happinesses people live for. Until there can be an age lit up by these small happinesses, I will wield he sword." He paused. "But when the new age comes..."  
  
He noticed Katsura is staring at him intently.   
  
"...You'll throw away the sword?" he asked.  
  
Kenshin shook his head. "I don't know. But I'll never kill again. Never again."  
  
--------  
  
So that's it for now. I'm sorry I took so long in getting this out, but it's probably something you should expect for the rest of the summer. For some reason it's harder for me to write at home than it was at school. Probably because there's more distractions here, like tv, and the internet. Oh, and the job eats up a lot of my time. So yeah. 


	8. FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions (Or questions that have been asked at least once):  
  
~When do I usually update?: Whenever I finish the chapter (meaning: it varies. widely)  
  
~What exactly did happen to all of the demons?: Um, they disappeared? Ok, ok, I'm not really sure yet, I have a vague general idea but I'm still working on it. Hopefully at one point I'll go more in depth with it.  
  
~Friendship or a romance between the two funny colored hair heros?: Right now I'm planning on just friendship with a few odd moments thrown in. I just can't see Kenshin and Inuyasha getting it on; it's not really in either of their characters. Although, I definitely do not have anything against shounen ai, in fact some of the best fanfictions I've ever read were shounen ai.   
  
~In answer to nae-chan's questions: I'm mostly basing the Tomoe/Battousai/Bakumatsu stuff on the OVA. I haven't actually read the manga, although I have read the translations. Anyway, I got the impression that after Kenshin kills Tomoe, he stops being a shadow hitokiri and Shishio steps in. However, Kenshin does become a bodyguard, and is now more visible to the public eye. Since people now have a general clue of how he looks, he probably gets attacked a lot. In the OVA, after Katsura asks Kenshin to become his bodyguard, Kenshin says something like: "I think she knew I would have to fight once more. I believe that." Kenshin didn't stop killing until after the Bakumatsu, and that's when he got the sakabatou and became a rurouni who doesn't kill. (see chapter 7)  
  
~Is the war near to over?: This fic is based around the time that Kenshin is 17, so there's about a year left of the war.  
  
~Will Inuyasha start wandering around with Kenshin?: Actually, right now I have no clue. I don't really know where I'm going with this; I just sorta sit down in front of the computer and start typing. Thanks for the idea though! I might use it if you don't mind. I've been thinking about it and I probably won't have them wander together, and if I do it won't be for very long.  
  
~How did Kagome and co. die?: Don't worry, I'm going to get around to that in the next chapter or so. Or sometime anyway.   
  
~In my last set of reviews someone mentioned that bible stories weren't around during the Bakumatsu: well, even though I meant that david and goliath thing just to be a visual for the readers, in all actuality bible stories could have been around in Japan during the Bakumatsu. In fact, the advance of the Western world into Japan was one of the causes of the war. http:// www. suite101. com/ article. cfm/ oriental_history/ 17895  
  
----  
  
So uh, do you guys think I should get rid of this page? I haven't been getting many questions lately, so it's kinda becoming somewhat void. 


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